Kokoro
by TriforceandSheikahArts
Summary: (YES, I FINALLY UPDATED!) Kagome, a new instructor at a local dance studio, gains a new student, Kisa Sohma. Kisa Sohma just happens to be accompanied to her dance classes by her older cousin, Haru Sohma. The very same boy who Kagome goes to school with... and has a crush on.
1. Summary

**Disclaimer**_ – _InuYasha is property of Rumiko Takahashi and Fruits Basket is property of Natsuki Takaya. All characters, setting, etc. are the property of their respective owners. I, TriforceandSheikahArts, merely wrote this story for amusement. I receive no profit from the creation of the story. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise relating to either InuYasha and/or Fruits Basket. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Note** – Thank you to my wonderful beta, Cade213, for editing this chapter. I really appreciate it.

* * *

**Kokoro**

**Summary**

* * *

In an attempt to make more female friends, young Sohma Kisa is signed up for dance lessons at the local dance studio by her older cousins. Hoping that this will be the outlet needed to help her confidence grow, Kisa wearily agrees to the idea.

Accompanied to the studio twice a week by her favourite cousin, Sohma Hatsuharu, Kisa discovers just how much she actually enjoys dancing. Mostly because the other girls there are nice, and her instructor, sixteen-year-old Higurashi Kagome, is one of the sweetest girls she has ever met.

Hoping to become good friends with her instructor, Kisa decides to play a little game, Operation Matchmaker. Ever since her older cousin, Sohma Rin, had broken up with Hatsuharu, the young ox had been in a rut. Wanting to fix that, Kisa attempts to set the two up together, hoping that this will be the needed fix to mend Haru's torn heart.

Will romance blossom between Kagome and Haru? Will Kagome turn out to be the girl who will help Haru? And what about little Kisa?


	2. Option

**Chapter One: **Option

**Author's Note -** Thank you to my wonderful beta-reader, Cade213, for editing this chapter.I really appreciate it.

* * *

"Kisa! Can you come here for a moment?" Hatori called. Sohma Hatori was a young man in between his late twenties to early thirties. He sported his usual white lab coat and watched as his younger cousin, Sohma Kisa, scampered into the room. Sohma Kisa was a young girl, no older than twelve. She had short blonde hair and sparkling brown eyes. She shut the sliding door and kept her gaze locked on the ground.

Hatori suppressed a sigh. "Please sit." He spoke calmly. Kisa pursed her lips together and sat down in the nearest seat. Hatori watched her actions and could not help but frown. "Would you like something to drink?" Not bothering for a response, he got up and poured the young tiger a drink. Kisa watched him, her eyes locked on the pitcher of water.

"Here you are," he said, handing her a glass. She smiled and brought it to her parched lips, drinking down the contents in a matter of gulps. "Better?" He asked, smiling.

She nodded, a light blush staining her cheeks.

"Good," he murmured before heading back towards his seat. "Now Kisa, you might be able to tell that I have something important I would like to discuss with you."

Kisa looked away. She set the glass down onto his desk and dared not meet his gaze.

Hatori watched her, feeling his heart hurting at just the sight. _She should not be like this_, he thought to himself._ Being sad does not suit her._ He shut his eyes for a moment. _Kisa, will you ever become your normal self again?_ As he watched her small figure inch further towards the right side of the chair, he could not help but frown. _Did those school children really hurt you so much? _A part of Hatori greatly wished that the form of bullying Kisa had been experiencing were sheer physical. That way, if she did return home one day with a bad cut or bruise, he could help speed up the process by cleaning the wound and tending to it. However, what Kisa was suffering from was not so much a physical state, but more so a physiological state.

Somehow, her fellow classmates had managed to get to the young cub, and cause her to feel insecure and fearful. The once confidence-filled and joyful girl was no more. What remained was a shell of that girl. On the outside, she appeared to be fine. Her weight and overall appearance were fine, and she got the proper amount of sleep needed for a young girl of her age. Still, however, on the inside, she was suffering. Within the deep sections of her mind, an entire war of mixed emotions seemed to be swirling around. In one end, there were pools of confusion and misunderstanding, while in another, there were vast amounts of fright and pricked nerves.

In Hatori's eyes, he could visualize the entire scenario. He could picture in one end, a nervous Kisa, standing all alone in her classroom. Her classmates were at the other end, and all were pointing, laughing at her. Whispers would be heard, and laughter would erupt within the small, yet brightly lit room. All of Kisa's small amount of confidence would be shattered into nothingness, and she would be left there all alone, standing petrified, scared.

_That's enough. Stop thinking that way. _With a shake of the head, Hatori was able to refocus his thoughts on the matter at hand. Casting away the vile views, he reached forward, clutching a thin pamphlet within his grasp.

Curious, Kisa titled her head to the side, wondering what it was that Hatori was holding.

Seeming to be able to read her thoughts, Hatori leaned forward, handing her the pamphlet. "Here you are."

She cautiously grasped a hold of it, bringing it closer towards her. Hatori watched as her eyes scanned the front page. Holding back a smile, he reached for his tea and took a calming sip as the young girl flipped it open to its next page.

"Kisa, Ayame, Shigure, and I have been talking, and thought that a good solution might be for you to enroll at that dance studio."

Right away, the pamphlet fell from her grasp and onto her lap. Her head shot up and her eyes were locked on Hatori. As to be expected.

Crossing his arms, he leaned further back into the chair. "Kisa, this might not surprise you much, but we are worried about you. We care about you, and only want the best for you. What's been happening over the course of the past few months has not been the best, and we all feel as though we should try our hardest to help resolve the problem at hand. We have heard nothing but good reviews from this studio, and think that it would be in your best interest to sign up for classes there."

Kisa blinked, unsure of what to do or say. She merely continued to stare towards Hatori. Hatori reached out for his tea. "Well, what do you think?" He wanted Kisa's honest and true opinion. If she did not want to attend classes there, then she wouldn't have to. This was solely her decision, and something that Hatori would allow her to choose.

"Kisa, this is your decision to make, not mine." As he stood up from his chair, he walked towards the doors, which led towards the backyard. Gazing out into the intricately designed feudal style garden, he stood quietly, waiting for her decision.

"Take all of the time that you need." With just a small sound heard, Hatori listened in as she walked towards the door. Her small feet trudged against the warm tatami mats, and her small ample fingers reached for the handle, sliding the doors open. After that, nothing was heard but silence.


	3. Decision

**Chapter Two:** Decision

**Author's Note** – Thank you to my wonderful beta, OptimusPrimeAddict, for editing this chapter. I really appreciate it.

* * *

It was a cheery Friday afternoon. School had just finished for the week, and all students were eager to start a long awaited weekend. School bags slung over people's shoulders and dress shoes clanking against the stone walkway, a hoard of first and second years rushed by, eager to catch the next bus or train.

A youthful schoolgirl, who had waist-long chocolate brown hair and matching eyes, hummed a joyful tune as she walked down the school steps. Oblivious to the loud banter around her, she was lost in deep in her thoughts, attempting to come up with what to cook for the evening.

_What might Yuki-san, Kyo-kun and Shigure-san like? Maybe some miso-soup with some rolled up omelets, or steamed tofu with some yummy pickle salad? Oh. I could even throw in some leeks too. But then again, Kyo-kun hates leeks… and I don't know how Shigure-san would feel about pickled salad? Oh, this is so hard. I don't know what to do. _She stopped by the school entrance, leaning against the fence. Eyes swirling, she glanced towards the clear blue sky.

"I don't know what to make," she sighed, her joyful tune lost. "It's always so hard."

"Sissy?" a light voice whispered.

"Huh?" Snapped out of her rut, Tohru looked towards the right, trying to find where the voice had come from.

_It sounded like Kisa-chan, but I can't be sure._

"Sissy…" someone tugged at her sailor blue blouse.

"Ah! Kisa-chan!" Tohru immediately dropped her schoolbag onto the ground and kneeled to reach the young girl's height. Extending her arms forward, she pulled the young cub into her arms, hugging her tight. Kisa sighed in contentment, placing her head against Tohru's shoulder. Only Tohru's hugs could put her at peace like this. Make her feel good, safe and secure.

"Kisa-chan, what are you doing out of school so early?" Tohru questioned, reluctantly pulling away from the embrace. Sporting a curious look, she eyed the tiger in befuddlement.

Kisa said nothing but merely slipped her backpack off her shoulders. Depositing it into the sidewalk, she bent down and unzipped a front compartment.

"Kisa-chan, what are you doing?" Her only answer was a pamphlet shoved right in front of her face.

Three…

Two…

One…

"Is this a booklet for a dance studio?"

* * *

The two sat opposite from each other on matching swings, lazily breezing back and forth. Their shoes and socks were lying near the swing's posts, as well as their bags.

Tohru, who was busy having fun, giggled as she felt herself soar high through the air. Well, she wasn't exactly soaring high through the air. She wasn't even that high in general. In fact, if she were to extend her legs forward, she would still be able to touch the ground and stop herself from moving completely.

"Kisa-chan, isn't this fun?" She laughed happily.

No answer.

"Huh?" Sand flying forward, Tohru immediately came to a halt. "Kisa-chan?" she blinked, getting up from the swing. "Are you okay?"

No answer.

"Kisa-chan?" Tohru rushed to her side, clutching the swing's metal styled ropes. "Are you okay? Please say something!"

Kisa again said nothing, since she was too engrossed in staring down towards the thin pamphlet. Almost as though she were lost in a trance, she seemed to be mesmerized by the paper.

Tohru, worried, reached forward and placed her hand atop of the document. "Kisa-chan, are you there?" She was scared. Usually, her tiger friend never acted this way. She had never witnessed her to be so out of it before. It was both terrifying and bizarre.

"Sissy," Kisa whispered, her eyes watering. "What s-should I do?" Her tone was so soft, so quiet. Tohru had to practically bend down right by her mouth to hear the young girl's words. "I'm so confused." She looked up, her mouth agape. Fresh tears lining her lower lids, she looked to be on the verge of weeping.

Tohru, not liking the sight before her, wrapped her arms around Kisa, hugging her tight. Kisa sniffled and leaned further into the embrace.

"Sissy," she mumbled, "Help."

"Kisa-chan, what do you think is best?"

"W-what?" confused, Kisa had not been expecting such an answer. "What do you mean, Sissy?"

"Tell me what you think Kisa-chan."

"W-what I think?" She repeated.

"Yes," Tohru nodded, smiling. "Tell me what you think about the situation. Are you scared because you might not like dancing, or, because of what will happen if you say no to the idea of attending classes there?"

Kisa opened her mouth about ready to respond, but instead withdrew.

_"Kisa-chan, this is your decision to make. Not mine."_

"_Kisa-chan, this might not surprise you much, but we are worried about you. We care about you, and only want the best for you. What's been happening over the course of the past few months has not been the best, and we all feel as though we should try our hardest to help resolve the problem at hand."_

Hatori's earlier words replayed through her mind.

"_We care about you, and only want the best for you"_

"_We are worried about you."_

"_We all feel as though we should try our hardest to help resolve the problem at hand."_

Thoughts circulating throughout her mind, she was lost within a sea of words and jumbled emotions.

_Should I try it? _She thought, glancing down towards the pamphlet. On the front was a picture of a ballerina's silhouette. With her back leg extended, it led the viewers to believe that the pose she was attempting to recreate was an arabesque. Her hair was tied back into the usual pin slick bun, and she sported a pretty, fluffy tutu, which fluttered at her sides.

_It does sound like fun._

Wistfully, she looked up into the sky, watching the clouds.

_Before this had all happened, a lot of girls at my school had told me that when they were younger, they were signed up for dance lessons and really liked them… Who knows, I might even start to like them too._

With a new outlook slowly forming, Kisa looked up towards Tohru and smiled.

Tohru leaned down and used her thumb to wipe away her tears. "So," she asked. "What do you think of the idea?"

Sitting up straight, Kisa raised the pamphlet slowly into the air. With a new look of confidence; Kisa seemed better than she was just minutes ago. Opening her mouth, she licked her lips. In one breath, she answered Tohru's question. "I-I know what to do now."

To that, Tohru merely smiled wide, her entire face lighting up. "That makes me so happy," she murmured.


	4. Introductions

**Chapter Three:** Introductions

**Author's Note** – Thank you to my wonderful beta, OptimusPrimeAddict, for editing this chapter. I really appreciate it.

* * *

As the week passed by without too many hitches, it was finally time. Yes, that's correct; it was time for Kisa's first ballet class.

Nervously, she walked down the sidewalk, holding onto her older cousin, Sohma Hatsuharu's, hand for dear life. Wearing her usual clothes, while sporting her leotard and tights underneath, she sucked on her bottom lip. Her ballet slippers and hairpins securely tucked away inside her bag, she glanced down towards the ground.

Last passing weekend after giving her decision to Hatori, he had called the studio and registered her for classes. Twice a week, she would be attending lessons at the local dance studio, Sakura Blossom center for the performing arts. Sakura Blossom center for the performing arts is apparently quite the well-known studio throughout their entire town. It offers nothing but the best in teaching, and is guaranteed to not just instruct their students in dance, but also how to properly comport themselves. Through lessons and interactions with their peers, the students are promised to experience the full effects of dance, while also making friends in the process.

From the way the brochure described the classes, it did help ease Kisa's nerves somewhat. Even when she went shopping with Ayame and Mine, his assistant, to find the perfect pair of ballet slippers and a leotard, she felt even more reassured than she did before. Mine had been explaining to her that she had taken dance lessons when she had not been much older than Kisa herself. She seemed to have enjoyed them immensely and said nothing but good came from them.

Overall, though, it had been her sissy, Tohru Honda, who really sealed the deal for her last Friday. When the pair had been in the park on the swings talking, Tohru had really opened up Kisa's eyes to the prospect of taking dance lessons. Tohru helped ease her nerves quite highly and make her feel much more relaxed about the decision.

_Sissy… I'm going to give this a try. For you, Hatori, Haru and everyone else… I'm going to try my hardest._

That decided, Kisa and Haru soon arrived at the studio. It was located above a music shop that appeared to specialize in selling pianos.

"How do we get up to the studio?" Haru asked, scratching the back of his head. He was never the best at finding his way. Even when he had volunteered to take Kisa to her first dance class, Hatori had recommended that they leave an hour earlier. Following his decision perfectly, both teens had left the Sohma compound exactly as advised… and guess what, as predicted, they did get lost.

_It's not my fault, _Haru thought, sighing. _All of the shops around here look the same._

"Haru, I think we get up this way," Kisa said, leading him towards the doorway.

"Kisa-chan, won't that just take us inside the piano store?" Haru asked curiously.

Kisa shook her head. "No. Look." She pointed to a sign that was stuck to the door. The name of the academy was neatly printed on the front with explanations on how to arrive to the studio. Haru leaned in close, reading the small print.

"Huh. So we just climb up the stairs… that's simple."

Kisa nodded and opened up the door. Both walked inside and climbed up the stairs. Quickly arriving to another door, Haru reached for the golden doorknob and turned in.

"Let's go in," Kisa mumbled quietly. She was the first to walk in and right away started to survey the room. The walls were painted a calming opal with nice hardwood floors spread throughout. Off to side was a set of double doors that read 'Main Office.' Kisa blinked and titled her head to the side. About ready to knock on the door, it opened up before she even had the chance to.

"Oh. Hello?" Standing before her was a young woman. She had raven coloured hair tied back into a high bun and bright emerald eyes. She had a nice looking figure and wore a long sleeved black bodysuit with a pair of yoga pants and dark dancing shoes.

Kisa nodded politely and backed away shyly. Never one for speaking much with strangers, she glanced back towards Haru with a nervous look.

Haru, who seemed to be staring off into space, snapped out of his daze and walked forward. His heavy collection of necklaces and bracelets jingled and jangled as he walked towards the woman.

"Hello," he greeted with a bow. "My name is Sohma Hatsuharu. I am Sohma Kisa's older cousin. She is starting her first lesson today… Might you know where the instructor is?"

"So you're Sohma Kisa?"

Kisa looked up and stared towards woman. An air of excitement had formed across her entire face, lighting up her entire frame.

"I've wanted to meet you, ever since I found out that you'd be in my class." She bent down so that she'd reach Kisa's height. "You're even cuter in person than I imagined you to be."

A light sprinkle of pink draped itself across her cheeks. Bashfully, Kisa looked down towards the ground, smiling.

"Aw~" the woman clasped her hands together. "You're adorable." And with that, she reached out and pulled her into her arms.

Taken aback, Haru watched in bemusement, as the still unknown woman was preoccupied with fussing over Kisa. Her arms were wrapped tightly around the little tiger's back and her lips appeared to be moving a mile a minute as she continually complemented her.

_Well, this is not what I was expecting. _Haru thought, blinking. Unsure of what to do, he started to glance around the room. Kisa seemed to be in no trouble. In anything, it looked as though she enjoyed being hugged by the strange woman.

"That's right." Seeming to come to her senses, the woman withdrew herself from Kisa and stood up properly. Running a hand through her hair, she smiled cosmetically and bowed. "My sincerest apologizes. I should have introduced myself much sooner," she chastised.

Kisa looked up, watching her expectantly. _Just what will she say, _she wondered.

Haru raised a white brow, clearly interested as well.

With a smile, the woman continued, "My name is Higurashi Kagome. It is an honour to have finally met you Kisa-chan. I am looking forward to teaching you today."

A look of shock crossed Kisa's face. Her mouth fell open as she stared towards Kagome in astonishment.

Kagome grinned, nodding. "Hai, that is right Kisa-chan, I am your ballet instructor."


	5. First class

**Chapter Four:** First class

**Author's Note** – Thank you to my wonderful beta, OptimusPrimeAddict, for editing this chapter. I really appreciate it.

* * *

Kisa fiddled with her palms, glancing shyly down towards the stained hardwood floors.

"Kisa-chan, might I have another pin?"

Withdrawing a black poppy pin from the newly purchased set, she handed it to Kagome.

"Thank you." Kagome chimed and slid it with ease into the young tiger's hair. "A few more adjustments and we'll be good."

Kisa nodded, looking back down. After arriving at the studio just a few minutes ago, she had been greeted by her instructor, Higurashi Kagome. To be fully honest, Kisa had not been expecting Kagome to be her instructor. She had pictured an old, mean lady with grey hair and a firm, rude expression. Meeting Kagome and finding out that she was going to be her instructor though, was like waking up to a breath of fresh air.

S_he seems so nice,_ Kisa thought, looking into one of the full-length mirrors. Mirrors covered the entire outer brick wall that had been painted white, and gave the entire room a much larger and airier feel.

"Okay, almost done." Suppressing a giggle, Kisa smiled wide as she felt Kagome's nimble fingers adjust a few finals pins inside her newly made bun.

_It tickles, _she smiled, covering her mouth with her hands.

"And voila!" stepping away, Kagome moved forward to admire her handiwork. "Aw, Kisa-chan, you look so pretty~!" She cooed, bending down to hug the young girl. "I just know that I'll love having you in my class."

With a sprinkle of pink draped across her cheeks, Kisa allowed Kagome to hug her, relishing in the feel of Kagome's warm, tender embrace. _It's like being hugged by Sissy, _she concluded, a flash of Tohru Honda forming inside her mind.

"Higurashi-san," someone knocked at the door. As it opened, it turned out to be Haru. "How are things going in here?" Ever since Kisa had been instructed to head inside the changing rooms, Haru hadn't heard word from her. He was beginning to grow weary.

"Haru," Kisa mumbled shyly. She was standing in front of the mirror while staring towards his reflection. Kagome, meanwhile, was standing right before Kisa, kneeled down to reach her height. Similar to Kisa, she was smiling, looking quite happy.

"Sohma-san," Kagome stood up properly. "Is there something wrong?"

"No. Not really." He walked further into the room, approaching Kisa. "I was just wondering how everything was going in here, that's all."

Kagome nodded. "A lot of people feel that way the first time their young ones are signed for classes, too." Haru's head shot up with a look of surprise crossing his face. Clearly, he had not been expecting that remark.

Giggling, Kagome covered her mouth with her hand. She found Haru's expression to be quite amusing. "Please, I mean no offence. I could tell right after meeting the two of you that you are not Kisa-chan's father. Perhaps… a cousin, maybe?"

"That's right," Haru nodded.

Kisa approached Haru, reaching for his hand. He gripped her small, pale hand tightly within his own, eyes twinkling as he saw Kisa look up to him happily.

"You two are quite close," Kagome noted, observing their interaction. Unlike most cousins she had seen thus far, Haru and Kisa appeared to be the closest she has ever witnessed. It was a nice change from the usual distance and awkwardness she saw people exhibit with their own family—herself included.

_It must be nice, s_he thought. Since her excursions through the well, Kagome's relationship with her own family had grown… quite distant, to put it at best. The conversations she had with them at the dining table or even over the phone were quite simple… and well, just plain uncomfortable. Though she could talk to them still, mostly through making pleasantries, they were not as close-knit as they had been before.

_I guess that's one thing I regret about my adventures into the Feudal Era, _she thought, frowning. _Souta-kun and I have so many differences now; we barely talk or hang out._

Suddenly, a knock on the door broke the silence. Without hesitation, three young girls walked inside. All were wearing their usual ballet outfits with their hair pulled back into high buns.

Instinctively, Kisa backed into Haru's chest, seeking the warmth that arrived as he wrapped his strong arms around her. Looking up towards him, her eyes started to water with uncertainty.

Haru's brows were close together, as a frown lined his face. He could tell that Kisa was afraid. Afraid of what those girls might try to do to her.

"It'll be okay," he murmured, whispering into her ear as he hugged her close. "You've got nothing to worry about. I'm here." He planted a light kiss on her forehead and placed his head atop hers. "I won't let anything happen to you, Kisa-chan."

Kisa felt reassured by his words, but those words could not fully tame the violent amounts of fear she had coursing through her veins. Gulping, she watched as the girls walked towards Kagome. All were smiling, looking quite excited to see the older woman.

_I can understand why though, _she reflected, watching as Kagome greeted them each with a hug. _She's so friendly and nice. Just like Sissy._

"Kisa-chan," Kagome said, turning to her. "These are the other three girls in the class: Emiko-chan, Maiko-chan, and Rina-chan." All three girls looked towards Kisa and waved. Emiko looked to be the tallest of the three and was wearing a pink bodysuit. Maiko-chan was a tad bit shorter than Emiko and looked to have dark brown hair, which was tied back into a high ponytail. And Rina-chan, wearing a pair of glasses, had rather pale skin and was wearing a black bodysuit, rather similar to Kisa's.

"Kisa-chan!" they chorused, waving, "**Welcome!**" All looked excited and quite happy to have finally met Kisa.

"Kisa-chan," Haru chastised. "Say hello."

Nodding, Kisa shyly returned the wave, a light blush of pink staining her cheeks.

"Well," Kagome clapped. "Since everyone is here, I suppose that we can begin." At her words, Kisa became tense. If class started, then that meant that Haru would have to leave.

Eyes wide, her head darted upwards. Her little mouth started to tremble as her eyes watered over. She didn't want Haru to leave.

Kagome, who saw the sudden change in Kisa's appearance, quickly understood the reason for her sudden fright. "Nee, Kisa-chan, how would you feel if Sohma-san were to stay and watch?" she offered, observing Kisa.

Instantaneously, Kisa's head whipped in her direction. Like a moth drawn to a flame, she was fixed on Kagome's idea solidly.

"Haru?" she stared to him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

Holding back a groan, Haru rubbed the back of his neck. "Of course, I'll stay." He spoke, a few beads of sweat forming at the back of his head. "How could I ever leave you?"

_Especially with how you've been acting these last few months, _he added to himself.

…

…

…

"Wonderful," Kagome praised, clasping her hands together. "I'm quite happy to hear that." Ever since Kisa had wandered into the studio, Kagome could see how apprehensive she had been. She had been clinging to Haru as though her life depended on it. It was both cute and a little worrisome.

_I wonder though… _she reflected._ Kisa-chan looks to be of twelve to thirteen… Sohma-san seems to be my age, if not a year or two older… Normally, at Sohma-san's age, he wouldn't prefer spending time with his younger cousin. Could there be a specific reason behind it? _As Kagome contemplated the situation, she had not noticed Emiko, Maiko, and Rina scampering over towards the stereo and withdrawing a small black book.

"Kagome-san," Maiko spoke, handing it to her. "You better take attendance."

"Oh." Snapped out of her daze, Kagome accepted the book, thanking Maiko. Maiko nodded, a light blush staining her cheeks.

"Now!" Kagome flipped through the book, she came to the very middle of its lined pages. "Here we are." Plopping the book down onto the ground, she sat down. Emiko, Maiko and Rina moved towards her, forming a small circle.

"Kisa-chan," Kagome instructed. "Please come sit with us."

Haru and Kisa shared a glance, but complied with Kagome's request. Sitting down with Kisa in his lap, Haru watched as Kagome wrote Kisa's name in the book.

"S-o-h-m-a… K-i-s-a," she mumbled to herself, her tongue sticking out. "There." Happy with her handiwork, she grinned. "Perfect, and since everyone else is here, I just need to check off their names." Quickly, she checked off all four girls names.

"Okay, since that's done. Let's begin." The three girls looked quite excited. Kisa, however, gripped Haru's arms tight. Haru tried to sooth her, wanting her to remain calm. Right now, Kisa's emotions were getting the best of her. If she overexerted herself, she might transform, and that would only make the situation even grimmer.

"Kisa-chan, hey, calm down." Kisa didn't listen though. Instead, she started to tremble. Shivers even ran down her spine. She backed as far into Haru's chest as she could, not willing to look up to meet his gaze.

"Kisa-chan?" he looked down. She was hiding her face in her hands. "Don't start this now, okay?" He sighed.

"Hmm," Kagome turned around. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, there is." Haru admitted reluctantly. "Kisa-chan isn't willing to get up—let alone, look up."

Kagome's expression softened. Moving closer towards Haru, she sat down quite close. Haru inched away, not willing to risk the idea of being touched. Luckily, Kagome didn't seem to notice, for she was too concerned with Kisa's wellbeing.

"Kisa-chan?" she asked. "Don't you want to dance?"

Kisa did not respond.

Kagome pursed her lips together. She was determined not to give up. One way or another, Kisa would be dancing today. "Are you sure?" She titled her head to the side. Kisa nodded, keeping her face hidden.

_Well, at least that was a reaction _Kagome sweat dropped.

"But Kisa-chan~!" she whined, startling Haru. "Class won't be fun if you don't participate. How will I survive if my newest and cutest student isn't willing to practice?"

Kisa removed her hands from her eyes, watching Kagome.

Kagome held back a grin. Her plan was working perfectly.

"When everyone found out that you would be coming, they were all so excited." She continued.

"That's right," Rina nodded, sitting down next to Kagome. "It's so hard to dance with only three girls, especially when we have to do things in partners."

"Kisa-chan," Maiko mumbled. "You can be my partner. I'd love to be with you."

"No! You can be my partner!" Emiko corrected.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Maiko whined. "I asked her first."

"Well too bad!" Emiko rebutted. "I want Kisa-chan to be my partner!"

"No fair! No fair! No fair!"

As the two began to get into an argument over who would be Kisa's partner, Kisa had slowly pulled herself away from Haru. Granted she was still sitting in his lap, but was far more relaxed than before. That was a good sign.

"Well?" Kagome asked, reaching out for her hand. "What do you say, Kisa-chan?"

Kisa looked towards Rina. She was looking towards her, smiling sincerely. Then her attention drifted towards Emiko and Maiko. Both were arguing, but were now making more silly faces at one another than actually arguing. At the sight, Kisa couldn't help but grin.

"Well?" As she looked back towards Kagome and her expectant hand, she nodded. Reaching for Kagome's hand, she allowed Kagome to help her back up onto her feet.

It was time to begin.


	6. School

_**Name: Kokoro**_

_**Pairing: Kagome Higurashi/ Hatsuharu Sohma**_

_**Chapter Five: School**_

* * *

"So how was Kisa-chan's first dance class?" Momiji inquired as he sat atop Haru's desk, kicking his legs back and forth. "Were the other girls nice to her? Did she look cute in her outfit? Oh, and how about the teacher, were they nice?" As the young rabbit's questions continued, never seeming to end, Haru raised a perfectly white brow and glanced towards the clock. It was half past eight, which meant they still had another fifteen minutes before class officially began.

"Haru, are you listening to me?" Momiji pouted, his cheeks flared. He hated it when people ignored him, especially when he was acting them important questions. Since this had to do with Kisa, a vital member of their family, naturally he was concerned and wanted to know how her first dance class went.

Suppressing a groan, Haru explained briefly, "It went rather well. At first, she was a little bit nervous, but soon enough she started to enjoy it." Momiji smiled. That was good news.

"And what about the other students are there a lot of them or a few of them?"

"Three," he said simply.

"Three?"

"That's right."

"Huh." He blinked. "That's good then. And how about the teacher? What were they like?"

"Nice," Haru mumbled, remembering how excited the instructor, Higurashi Kagome, had looked upon meeting Kisa for the very first time.

_She looked as if she wanted to kidnap her and take her away,_ he thought, a sweat drop forming at the back of his head.

Momiji leaned in closer, inspecting Haru's face. There was something off about the Ox, and he wanted to know. "Haru, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he waved a hand. "I'm just tired." It was a bogus excuse and he knew that Momiji wouldn't buy it, but for now he was tired of his cousin's constant chatter. Sometimes he enjoyed Momiji's steady questions, finding them amusing and interesting, but for now, it was more of a nuisance.

"Fine," Momiji grumbled as he hopped off the desk. "But answer me one last question, okay?"

"Fine…"

"Was the instructor male or female?"

Haru eyed Momiji tiredly. "What's it matter?" He moaned.

Momiji's gaze hardened. "Hatori-san specifically wanted Kisa-chan to have a female instructor, Haru. I just want to make sure that she did get one."

The Ox nodded. "She is female. The instructor is female," he spoke, clarifying as he saw Momiji tilt his head to the side.

"Oh, okay. That's good!" Unable to contain his excitement, the young rabbit reached into his pocket and withdrew a fresh lollipop. As he peeled off the wrapper and tossed it into the nearby trashcan, he skipped towards the other end of the room and began to converse with other fellow students, leaving Haru all to himself.

* * *

"Miss. Higurashi, although all of your transcripts appear to be in order, your marks from the passing year were not your greatest," the guidance counsellor remarked as he glanced down towards Kagome's file. "Almost all of your grades are failures. I don't know whether or not the teachers at your previous school passed you out of consideration or for other reasons."

Kagome laughed and fiddled with her hands. A look of unease soon formed across her face as she leaned further back into her guidance councillor's plastic red chair. It was almost time for her to begin her first day of lessons at Kaibara High School, and she was always feeling rather nervous.

"Well, I suppose that we've talked enough for now." Her guidance councillor shut her manila folder and deposited it into a random door. When he locked the drawer and placed the key back into his pocket, he looked towards Kagome with a smile. "Come now, we better get you to your first class."

"Hai."

Both exited from the office and moved their way through the hallway. Since there was only five minutes left before class commenced, that meant that few students roamed the halls, for fear of acquiring a detention slip. Luckily, though, Kagome would not need to worry about that today.

_This isn't so bad,_ she thought, clutching her schedule in her palm. _I should be able to do this._ _Just like Mama said, I will be fine. _Last before going to sleep, Kagome had phoned up her mother back in Tokyo to explain that tomorrow she would be beginning her first day of classes. Her mother, as always, spoke sincerely and kindly into the phone as she wished her daughter good luck and knew that she would be just fine.

"Miss. Higurashi, I will be going inside the classroom for one moment. Please, wait outside here for me," the guidance councillor instructed as he walked into a nearby classroom. When the door shut, Kagome gripped her timetable in her hands, crumbling the paper. A moment later, the guidance councillor remerged with a small yet patient smile.

"Please, come in."

Kagome gulped and nodded. Then, she walked in.

* * *

"Class, we have a new student joining us." Haru looked up, interested, as a young female wearing the girl's blue sailor outfit emerged. She had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail and was smiling nervously.

Haru's eyebrow shot up.

_That's her,_ he thought, recalling the previous night. _That's Kisa-chan's instructor._

"Miss. Higurashi, please introduce yourself to the class." Mrs. Katsu spoke as she wrote Kagome's name on the blackboard. Mrs. Katsu was a kind looking woman with short brown hair and dark brown eyes.

"O-Okay," Kagome mumbled. Exhaling a sigh, she forced a cheerful smile. "Hello, my name is Kagome Higurashi. I am new to Kaibara and just moved her from Tokyo a few weeks ago… I hope that we can all be friends." She bowed respectfully and turned her attention back towards Mrs. Katsu.

"Lovely," she clapped. "And now, you'll be assigned a seat." Her eyes scanned across the room, attempting to locate an empty desk. "There. You'll sit next to Sohma-san." All of the other girl's eyes narrowed at her, causing sweat drops to form at the back of Kagome's head. "Sohma-san, please raise your hand."

A tired Haru elevated his hand into the air. Kagome glanced towards the right side of the room and noticed him. Instantaneously, her eyes widened and she started to smile.

"Higurashi-san, please go and take your seat. I will have your textbooks here and ready for you tomorrow, so today you will need to share with Sohma-san." Mrs. Katsu explained with a heart-warming smile.

Kagome nodded and made her way to her seat. While passing through the various aisles, she could not help but notice how all of the girls were glaring towards her. Most of them had looks of sheer jealously written across their faces, and a few were even growling. She made a face and slipped into her seat.

_Scary,_ she thought, a few beads of sweat forming behind her head.

"… Hey," someone whispered then catching her attention. Looking towards the side, she noticed that it was Sohma-san. "It's nice to see you again," he replied as he ran a hand through his coloured hair.

"It's nice to see you too," Kagome replied, smiling. "I trust that Kisa-chan had a good time."

"Oh, she had a great time." That was an understatement at best. For when Haru and Kisa had returned home that evening after her first dance lesson, the little tiger was nothing but smiles. She had enjoyed her dance class much more than she had expected herself to, and was attempting to recreate some of the movements that had been taught in her class. Needless to say, after that, Kisa could not wait until her next dance lesson.

"That's good to hear," Kagome smiled. "That makes me happy."

"Higurashi-san, Sohma-san, please stop talking. You are disturbing my class," warned a semi-agitated Mrs. Katsu.

"Sorry," they both apologized, their expressions neutral.

"That's better," Mrs. Katsu smiled as she turned around to face the blackboard. "Now we will begin." She started to write on the board as students reached inside their bags to pull out their notebooks. Kagome followed with their actions and withdrew her newly purchased red notebook. She bought one for each of her courses and was eager to begin learning once again.

"Here." Haru slid his textbook closer towards Kagome. "You use it."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Won't you need it?" She whispered, watching Mrs. Katsu out of the corner of her eye.

"No." He replied simply.

Kagome, confused, licked her lips. "Are you sure?"

"I am," he responded with a smile.

"… Okay then." She brought the textbook closer towards her, but made sure to keep it right in between both desks. That way, in case Haru actually did need the textbook, he would still be able to see and use it.

* * *

The rest of her classes passed by in an array of colours, as it was now lunch. Kagome gripped her newly purchased lunch tray in her hands as she began to survey the cafeteria. All around her, students of various years sat with their friends, talking and chatting up. Everyone already looked to be severed off, which made the idea of even attempting to sit with someone rather difficult.

Kagome sighed and walked towards an empty table. Sitting down, she began to eat her salad, quietly keeping to herself.

"Hey, you!"

Kagome looked up noticing three people standing right in front of her. They looked to be two second years and one first year. The girl in the center of the group had light brown hair tied back in two ponytails with red clips. The girl on the left side had short blonde hair tied back into a bun, and the other girl with dark brown up to her shoulders on the right. All three were watching the teenage miko with hard-eyed expressions. Kagome felt a few beads of sweat form behind her neck as she dropped her fork.

"Um, hello?" she exclaimed.

"Don't you even start!" The girl on the left shouted.

Kagome inched back, surprised.

_'What's her problem?'__ She wondered, taken back._

_"We saw you talking to him!" The girl in the center exclaimed._

"Talking to whom?" Kagome repeated, question marks hovering above her head.

"**Sohma Hatsuharu!"** The three shouted.

"Oh… well what about it?"

Their jaws dropped. "How can you even say that?" shouted the girl on the right, "its Sohma-san that you were talking with."

"And what about that?" Kagome questioned. "I don't understand."

The three girls hissed. Kagome's eyebrows shot up.

"Stop acting stupid!" The one in the middle barked. "We saw you two being all buddy-buddy this morning, and we want it to stop!"

"He was just letting me use his textbook. Mrs. Katsu even told him to."

Her jaw dropped. The girls on either side of her moved closer towards Kagome. Their hair looked to be standing up, as their eyes were bright red.

"I think its time to go," Kagome realized as she stood up from her seat. From what she could tell, these girls looked to be pissed off that she even eyed Hatsuharu.

"What the big deal though," she muttered under her breath. "He's just a guy."

"Just a guy?" one of them repeated. "You obviously need glasses, if you haven't noticed how dreamy Sohma-san is." A look of sheer contentment washed over her face as she leaned back onto her friend for support. Her cheeks were a colourful shade of rose as images of Hatsuharu came to mind.

Kagome's eye widened. Was this girl on medication, she wondered.

"He's the perfect rebel!" One spoke, her eyes shining.

"His hair colour is beyond perfect."

"And the way he wears his uniform is—"

"**To die for!"** the three of them squealed, roses forming around them. Kagome and others watched the girls, similar expressions forming across their faces. Most of the boys in the lunchroom merely rolled their eyes at the girl's antics, while other females murmured and nodded in agreement with them. Hatsuharu was to die for, after all. He was good-looking, calm and collect. And since he was related to the prince, second year Sohma Yuki that already made him popular by default… yet, his good looks made him even better on his own.

"Wow," Kagome mouthed, backing away slowly. While the girls were lost in their fantasies, the miko decided to use that opportunity to flee from the cafeteria… at full speed.

* * *

She ran as fast as she could up the steps, moving two at a time. Her lunch tossed into a nearby trashcan was the least of her worries as she neared the end of the stairwell. See, not too long after she had run from the cafeteria, the three girls had snapped out of their fantasies and noticed that she had took off. Since it seemed as though they had nothing better to do, they began to follow Kagome.

"Hey, get back here!" All three of them sounded to be out of breath as they ran up the stairs. From what Kagome could hear, all three girls were huffing and puffing, attempting to catch their breath.

_I guess that's one perk about my travels_, she thought as she kicked open the nearest door. _I'm so used to running from monsters all the time, that I'm now able to run without losing my breath so quickly._

Kagome scrambled outside and breathed in a deep gulp of fresh air.

"Hey, get back here!"

Her body got tense for a second, before she did the first thing she could think of. She slammed the door and locked it from the outside. A few seconds later, she heard banging coming from the other side of the door, as the three girls were yelling and screaming.

"Um, hello?"

Kagome turned around then noticing the other people watching her. There looked to be seven of them, and Kagome recognized two of them from her class.

"Higurashi-san?" repeated a confused Haru, his gaze locked on her.

A sweat drop formed at the back of her head. "I am sorry for interrupting your lunch," she apologized with a bow. "I just needed to get away from a few people and well—"

"**Open this door right now!"**

Everyone's attention was drawn to the red door, which Kagome attempted to block from view.

"Is someone bothering you?" A blonde haired girl asked, standing up. She wore a longer version of the school's short blue skirt, and suddenly began to crack her knuckles, "because if they are, I can give them a good pounding for you."

Kagome shook her head. "Thanks but no thanks."

"Kagome-chan, come sit with us." A small blonde boy appeared by her side, smiling.

"You're… Momiji-san, right?" Kagome asked.

"That's right!" he nodded, giggling. "She remembers my name!" He looked beyond ecstatic. Kagome couldn't help but smile.

"You're Higurashi-san?" someone questioned. A petite girl with chocolate brown eyes and dark brown haired smiled warmly in her direction. She had two yellow ribbons tied on each side of her head and was holding a thermos up to her mouth. "Please, come and join us. We have more than enough room."

"No, I couldn't," responded Kagome as she inched further away from the door. "I said so before that I did not want to intrude."

"Where else will you go then? A girl with violet eyes and long dark hair questioned. "Those three girls are blocking the only exit. Your only options because of them are to join us, jump from the school's roof to the ground floor, or open up the door and face them."

Kagome grimaced. None of those options sounded very appealing to her, even though she knew that the girl was correct.

"So what will you do?"

Kagome sighed. "May I join you all?"

"Of course!" the cheerful brunette responded. She was already at work, attempting to make room for Kagome. "You can sit here." She patted the seat that was in-between herself and Hatsuharu.

Kagome held back a grimace, g_reat, the reason why I'm stuck in this mess is the very same person who I have to sit next to… again. _ She trudged forward and plunked herself down onto the blue blanket.

Haru raised an eyebrow and stopped eating. "What's wrong?" From what he had observed thus far, Kagome wasn't usually this type of person. She was more a person of happiness, always so bubbly and joyful… kind of like Tohru.

_Maybe that's why Kisa-chan likes her so much_, he thought.

"… You have some weird admirers," confessed Kagome.

"Hmm?" now, he was confused.

She pointed towards the door. "Out there, are three of them… they really seem to like you, so maybe you should go and talk to them. Maybe even get rid of them."

"Higurashi-san, what are you talking about?" Asked a boy who looked to be rather feminine. He had short grey hair and sparkling purple eyes.

"Sohma-san's got his weird fan club too," the blonde laughed as she sipped her drink. "Just like you, Prince."

His eyes narrowed. "Don't call me that," he hissed.

"Why not?" another boy laughed, he had short red hair and bright, fiery red eyes. "It does suit you, after all." His tone was highly sarcastic. In some ways, he already reminded Kagome of InuYasha. And whether or not that was good thing, she found herself questioning.

"Higurashi-san, would you like something to eat?" Before Kagome could even respond, the kind brunette was already offering her a rice ball. Not wanting to seem rude, Kagome accepted one and kindly took a bite.

"These are quite good," she confessed.

"Oh, thank you very much." The brunette blushed. "But really, they're not that good. They could be much better. I could have—"

"So what's your name?" The blonde interrupted, not wanting to hear Tohru ramble any more about how the rice balls could have been cooked better/longer. After all, they had heard that for five minutes before already. She, along with the others, were ready for a change in conversation.

"Oh, I am Higurashi Kagome," she offered a wave.

The blonde smiled. "Uotani Arisa," she extended a hand forward. Kagome reached over and shook it. Arisa's handshake was just as expected, firm and hard. Just like her.

"And I am Hanajima Saki," the girl with violet eyes introduced herself. "And might I say, Kagome-san, your waves are quite soothing."

"Um, thank you?"

"Don't worry, that's a good thing," Arisa responded, laughing at Kagome's expression.

"I'm Honda Tohru," the kind brunette introduced herself, bowing. "It's so nice to meet you, Higurashi-san."

"And it is very nice to meet you as well." Kagome replied, returning the gesture. Afterwards, the two remaining figures introduced themselves. The grey haired boy was Yuki Sohma, and the red head, Kyo Sohma. Since she already knew Momiji and Hatsuharu from her first period class, she did not need an introduction from them.

"Higurashi-san, how exactly did those girls end up chasing you?" Yuki asked, wiping his chin with a clean napkin.

Kagome giggled and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, um, see…"


	7. Day by Day

_**Disclaimer – **_I own nothing. All rights belong to the proper owners of Fruits Basket and InuYasha. I merely write this story for amusement. I make no profit from it whatsoever.

* * *

_**Name: Kokoro**_

_**Pairing: Kagome Higurashi/ Hatsuharu Sohma**_

_**Chapter Six: Day by Day**_

* * *

**Written: 14/08/12**

* * *

"One and two, and one and two, and one and two, that's right, Kisa-chan, you have it. Keep going." Kagome smiled and continued to recite the previous beats of the song. On the right side of the room stood Emiko and Maiko, who had just finished their galloping from the left side of the room. Kisa was halfway to meeting them, and just behind her was Rina. The point of the exercise – as Kagome explained to them – was to help them learn to point their toes better and build up some momentum. As well, since the girls had spent the last thirty minutes at the bar, it was a nice change from the constant stretching of muscles and fixed positions.

Outside, watching from the small square window was Haru. This time before the lesson had begun, Kisa had explained quietly to Haru that she didn't need him to sit in and watch the entire class. That rather, he could do so from the comforts of the lobby if he so wished.

Haru, who was happy to see Kisa's quick progress, was more than fine from watching outside. If anything, he preferred it. It was quieter in the lobby and the chairs were quite comfortable.

"Kisa-chan, wonderful job, you're doing so well." Haru smiled as he watched Kisa's face light up. It was obvious that Kisa was quickly becoming fond of Kagome. Whenever she would lock eyes with the older girl, she would break out into large grins or begin to blush uncontrollably. It reminded Haru of how she acted around Tohru.

"Rina-chan, please slow down a little bit. You do not need to be going so fast." Little Rina was moving quite quick. Her little legs zoomed towards the other end of the room, and Haru chuckled under his breath.

Rina sighed when nearing the end of the room and looked towards Kagome, highly disappointed. She mumbled a soft apology and promised to do better next time. Kagome shut off the stereo and moved towards Rina. Bending down to reach her height, she said that it was fine and she had done well. The only problem was her speed. Kagome promised her that if she went slower, she would do a much better job.

The look on Rina's face was priceless as she broke out into a wide grin and agreed. "Hai, hai, I just need to go slower. That's all." Along with a new look of determination, Kagome laughed and patted her shoulder. "That's right, Rina-chan." Kagome got up and went to turn on the stereo.

When classical music filled the air, she clapped her hands and signalled for the four girls to continue. "Emiko-chan, you go first, followed by Maiko-chan, Kisa-chan and then Rina-chan."

"**Hai!"** they chorused.

Haru smiled from the outside window and so did Kagome.

"Good. Now begin."

* * *

Once the lesson was finished and the girls scampered towards the change room, Kagome emerged, feeling rather parched.

"Hello Sohma-san, did you enjoy the lesson?" She greeted, smiling pleasantly.

Haru looked up and grunted. "It was nice."

"Kisa-chan is quite the dancer," she reminisced. "She is a very quick learner, too. I can tell that she must practice at home quite a bit."

"Oh, believe me, she does." Just last night, the little tiger had cleared out the entire living room of her house, pushing all furniture and objects to the side, in order to have enough room to practice her stretches. "She practises every day."

"Lovely." Kagome clasped her hands together. "There's nothing better than knowing that your student enjoys their work."

Haru stifled a laugh. Right then, Kagome looked quite comical. She was staring off into space with a dreamy look plastered on her skin.

"Oh, and what is so funny, Sohma-san?" She demanded, appearing to be quite crossed. Her hands were placed on her hips and she tapped her foot impatiently. Haru noted that she could change emotions quite quickly. He would need to remember that for future times.

"Its nothing," he confessed, shrugging his shoulders.

She rolled her eyes, not believing one word. "Yeah right my foot," she said.

Haru arched a brow. It looked like she had a sense of humour.

"I wouldn't have guessed that," he mumbled under his breath.

"Guessed what?"

"That you had a sense of humour," he confessed.

"**What?"** She nearly fell over. "What sort of comment is that?" She demanded, her hair standing up.

His lips twitched. "Honesty," he replied dryly.

Her eyes narrowed and she balled her hands into fists. "Not funny!" She exclaimed and then marched off towards the staff's room. Haru watched as she slammed the door and could not help but shake his head. The few women who sat in the other chairs waiting for their daughters, watched in shock at the sight before them, before beginning to giggle and gossip amongst each other. A few times, they would point and glance in Haru's direction and then towards the door, where Kagome was behind.

Haru listened to their words, finding it amusing how the older women gossiped more than girls at his own school did. It was downright hilarious when he actually thought about it.

"Haru-kun?" exclaimed a quiet Kisa. "What's so funny?"

Haru looked away from the whispering women and down towards Kisa. "It's nothing." He shrugged his shoulders once more and rose up from his seat. "Are you all ready?"

"Yeah," she nodded and slipped her arms inside the bags straps.

"Okay then." Together they both set off, heading towards home. Out of the corner of his eye though, the Ox cast one last glance towards the staff room door, unaware of just how much he had annoyed Kisa's instructor.

* * *

The following morning, classes went by smoothly for Kagome. Already used to her new schedule, her time at Kaibara no longer felt odd or lonesome to her. The once strange students and new teachers were quickly becoming recognizable and kind. People she once found to be rude or confusing turned out to be helpful and considerate. When she passed others in the hallways, they would take turns waving to each other and calling their names from other ends of the packed corridors. It was always fun and amusing to see others regard them with weird expressions or mutter some undecipherable words to their fellow peers.

As the days progressed, slowly leading towards the end of the week, Kagome found herself eating lunch with Tohru, Arisa, Saki and the rest of the Sohmas up on the rooftop. Tohru, who had invited her to sit with them the following day – after that unexplainable chase from members of the Hatsuharu fan club, a much smaller and tight knit group from the Prince Yuki fan club – had graciously accepted the invitation, and quickly found herself fitting in.

Arisa and Saki treated her with respect and were always eager to get her opinion into the conversations. Momiji, who was a delight to sit by, constantly chatted with Kagome, and spoke of many different and unusual topics. Though Kyo typically gave her the cold shoulder, and Yuki was still too formal around her, Kagome enjoyed their company and found herself looking especially forward to lunchtime. This time, however, she was not.

Recalling last night's previous conversation she had shared with Hatsuharu caused her to dread lunchtime. Though this morning she had managed to avoid conversing with him, there was a high chance at lunch that that would be unavoidable.

Numerous times before lunch, she had considered sitting in the cafeteria with other students she was slowly befriending. Yet, when she imagined informing Tohru that she would not be sitting with them, she pictured the distraught look on the girl's face and decided against it. No matter how awkward she would feel at lunch today, she knew she owed it to Tohru not to leave.

"Tohru-chan has been nothing but nice to me. I can't leave because of something between Sohma-san and myself." With that notion in mind, she had forced herself to climb the high flight of stairs after her fourth period class and make her way up onto the rooftop.

As expected, Tohru and the others were all there. Their usual blankets spread out, lunches already out, and open.

"Kagome-chan, I'm so happy to see you!" greeted an overly chipper Tohru.

"Hai, I am glad to see you, too, Tohru-chan," she replied and made her way towards the group. Sitting down at a far end, she noticed immediately how Haru had stopped eating his lunch to look at her. Beads of sweat formed behind her head.

"So Kagome-chan, how were your classes?" Momiji questioned, happily eating his lunch.

Kagome shrugged her shoulders, "Fine." Her typical response to the question.

"That's good to know," he laughed.

Kagome nodded and took a bite out of her spring roll. As a few more questions were directed to her and she answered each one pleasantly, she noticed soon enough how the conversation had diverted, moving onto another topic. Fine with the silence, she continued to eat her lunch, unaware that Haru had gotten up and moved.

"About last night," he said, catching her attention.

"What about it," she demanded, her anger returning.

"If I made you mad about anything, I'm sorry."

Her eyes widened. She was not expecting such a response. Unsure of what to say, she sighed and placed her bento onto the blanket. "Thank you." She nodded, still attempting to determine what she would say next. "… I'm happy to hear that."

Haru smiled. "So am I."

"What are you two whispering about over there?" demanded an annoyed Kyo. Everyone looked up and glanced towards Kagome and Haru. Kagome groaned and slapped her forehead, while Haru merely blinked.

"Nothing," they both replied.

"Nothing my foot," Kyo rolled his eyes.

Haru and Kagome shared a quick glance, their eyes twinkling. Soon enough, Kagome broke out into a fit of laughter and Haru chuckled softly under his breath. Everyone eyed them, confused.

"W-what's so funny?" asked Tohru.

"Yeah, let us in on the joke," added on Arisa.

"I quite agree," nodded Saki.

Kagome heaved a breath, attempting to regain some composure. "It's just that last night, I said the same thing to Sohma-san," she giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"You mean what orange top just said?" Arisa questioned. Kagome nodded, smiling widely.

Yuki and Kyo's eyes narrowed as they stopped eating their lunches. Haru noticed just how much hostility and anger was in their eyes. He arched a brow and shrugged his shoulders.

"And how exactly did that occur, Miss. Higurashi?" Yuki questioned keenly.

"I saw him at my dance class that evening," she replied stiffly.

Kyo released a loud laugh. "Haru y-you dance!" He fell back at the thought.

Haru's eyes narrowed. "It's not that, you dummie."

"_Hey!"_

"I suppose I should have phrased that better," Kagome said and rubbed the back of her neck. "See, Sohma-san was watching Kisa-chan dance." Tohru perked up, as did Yuki and Momiji. Meanwhile, Arisa and Saki looked on, lost.

"Who is Kisa?" Arisa asked.

"A cousin of Sohma-san's," replied Kagome. "But now that I think about it, since Sohma-san has so many other cousins here, then they, too, must be related to Kisa-chan."

"And how do you know Kisa-chan?" Momiji asked curiously.

"She's my newest student." beamed Kagome.

"Huh?" Everyone's jaws – except for Haru's – dropped. Kagome watched them, confused.

"What's wrong?" She asked them.

"Kagome-chan… are you Kisa-chan's… instructor?" Tohru asked slowly.

Kagome nodded. "Hai, that is correct." Tohru released a loud yell as her hair suddenly stood up. Kagome watched her, unsure of what to do as her eyes started to swirl and she looked around vividly.

"Is she okay?" She questioned Yuki and Kyo.

"Yeah, she's fine. Don't worry about her," insisted an annoyed Kyo. He then leaned over and gently tapped her shoulder. Tohru tensed over suddenly becoming stiller than stone. A sweat drop formed behind Kagome's head.

"Ah, okay." She directed her attention back towards her bento.

"Kagome-chan, Kagome-chan, how are you able to teach Kisa-chan's class?" Momiji asked and moved closer towards her, his eyes sparkling.

"Its simple," she laughed. "I made a deal with the owner of the studio. In exchange for teaching lessons, I don't need to pay for lessons of my own."

"How many other classes do you teach?" wondered Yuki.

"Two others, including Kisa-chan's," she replied.

"Wow." Tohru clasped her hands together already back to her usual self. "Kagome-chan that's amazing. If you don't mind me asking, what do you teach?" Tohru looked so excited and joyful. Her eyes glimmered with admiration and she had stars twinkling all around her. At the sight, Kagome smiled.

"I teach a Pointe class and a jazz class."

"And you also take lessons too, no?"

"Yes, well, they're not exactly lessons… more like one on one sessions."

"And what does that mean?" Kagome explained that once the studio was closed for the evening, the owner of the studio taught Kagome alone in one of the many dance rooms. Together they worked on bar exercises, stretches and other forms of intense movement. Typically, the after hour lessons either ranged from one hour to three. Mostly, it depended upon how tired Kagome was from teaching her lessons before, or whether the owner had other priorities, she needed to take care of that evening. Nonetheless, Tohru was amazed by the sudden discovery and was engrossed by it throughout the rest of lunch.

"Tohru-chan, if you're interested, I could teach you a little bit." Offered Kagome as she begun to pack away her bento. "I don't need to head down to the studio until seven this evening."

"But what about all of your supplies?" worried Tohru.

Kagome playfully rolled her eyes. "I have them in my locker; there is no need to worry."

Tohru was just about to respond when the bell rang. A look of sadness crossed her face. "Lunch is over." She rose up from the ground. The others followed suite, intending to head to their next class.

"Tohru-chan, would you still like to learn?" Kagome asked as she strapped on her backpack.

"Would I ever," she smiled. That same look from before formed across her face. Kagome eyes softened. "I bet you're a wonderful teacher, Kagome-chan. Kisa-chan must love you." Tohru glanced over towards Haru. "Sohma-san, you have watched Kagome-chan teach before, no?"

Haru stopped walking and turned around. "That's right." He nodded. "I have."

"Then you should know best," Tohru smiled. "Is Kagome-chan a good teacher or is she a great teacher?"

Haru thought about it for a moment. "She's a great teacher," he said a minute later.

Tohru beamed, overjoyed. "Oh, that's wonderful."

"When would you like to be taught then?" Kagome inquired. Tohru was such fun to be around, and Kagome was sure that teaching Tohru some simple steps would be just as fun as teaching Kisa-chan and the rest of her other students.

Tohru pursed her lips together. "How about today?" she suggested. Kyo and Yuki stopped walking and whipped their heads around, similar stunned expressions forming across their faces.

"So after school then?"

"It sounds like a plan," Tohru smiled.

"Oh, me too, me too! I wanna' learn how to dance!" Momiji added on, joining into the conversation. "If Kagome-chan teaches Kisa-chan and Haru says she's a great teacher, then I want to be taught by her too."

Kagome giggled. "You're too kind, Momiji-kun." She leaned over and ruffled his hair.

"Kagome-chan, you can come with us to Shigure-san's house and from there, you can teach Tohru-chan and I how to dance," suggested the rabbit. Kagome looked confused and asked who Shigure was. Momiji explained that it was their cousin. He was an author and Kyo, Tohru and Yuki lived with him.

"Well, that sounds like a good idea but—"

"Great. Haru and I will meet you outside of your last class once school is over." Before Kagome could say anything else, Momiji danced his way towards the door. Kagome's eyebrows shot up.

"I didn't just sign myself up for something I should regret, did I?" She wondered and looked up into the sky.

* * *

-o0o0o-

* * *

**Author's note**

For all you Kagome/Haru lovers, I am planning to insert some more moments/scenes between them in the following chapter. If anyone is interested, I might even bring a certain snake into the picture ***wink, wink***. I'm sure you all know whom I'm referring to. If not, here's a clue: he and Yuki barely get along.

So sorry for the delay, I've been lazy with writing, but am trying to update my stories as much as possible. You can all expect an update soon… but, if you want update quicker, I will try my hardest to update by this Saturday **if **this story hits **over** 58 reviews. I know that's bad to ask for and I shouldn't even be asking for reviews in the first place, but I can't help myself. X3

Sometimes all of us authors on this site might feel that way, no? I'm sure I am not the only one. Okay, enough of this… thanks for reading and until the next chapter. I hope this chapter wasn't too dull, but slowly things need to be set up. I just can't have Kagome and Haru confess their love for each other one, two, three, you know. No matter how much I'm sure some you – including me – would like that. XD

Until chapter seven,

Sincerely,

~TFSA


	8. A Dog… and a Snake!

**Disclaimer**_** – **_I own nothing. All rights belong to the proper owners of Fruits Basket and InuYasha. I merely write this story for amusement. I make no profit from it whatsoever.

* * *

**Name: Kokoro**

**Pairing: Kagome Higurashi/ Hatsuharu Sohma**

**Chapter Seven: A Dog… and a Snake!**

* * *

**Written: 17/08/12**

* * *

Kagome hummed a joyful tune and continued to pack away her school supplies. She was one of the remaining few left in the classroom, and did not see the means to rush. Unlike her fellow peers, she did not have a bus to catch or did not have a club meeting to attend. She would have joined some of the various clubs offered at Kaibara High, but she did not have an interest in them. In Kagome's eyes, videotaping and spying on the Sohmas was not something she would like to waste her time doing. She had much more important priorities she needed to care of, then worry about what food Yuki ate for breakfast, or how many steps Kyo takes before running.

She rolled her eyes at the thought. So many girls in all of her classes cared so much for the Sohmas. While that is a good thing in a way, the way they illustrate their compassion for the Sohmas borders the lines of stalker and pedophile. A sweat drop formed behind her head.

"Kagome-chan, are you ready?" The door slid open to reveal Momiji and Haru. "Class has been over for nearly ten minutes now." The little rabbit danced his way over towards her. He spun and spun causing her to chuckle.

"Hai, I'm ready." She zipped up her bag. "Sorry for making you two wait."

"It's fine." Haru held up his hand. "Don't worry about it. Kyo takes far longer than you anyway."

Kagome grimaced. "Gee, that's good to know."

The three then exited from the class and began to descend the nearby staircase. Momiji was in the lead, and Kagome and Haru trailed behind him.

"He's quite energetic," Kagome whispered to Haru.

"He's always energetic." He corrected her.

Kagome chuckled. "I'll have to remember that." Soon enough they rounded the bend and had neared the front hallway. Standing together in a small cluster were the same girls that had chased Kagome on her first day.

"Oh boy," she mumbled under her breath. "It's them."

Haru raised an eyebrow. "Them who?" he asked curiously.

"Members of your fan club," she replied dully. "Or, in case you want more information, the same girls who chased me on my first day of school."

"Ah." He nodded, recalling the incident. "Good times," he said sarcastically.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Aren't you a saint," she said dryly.

"**Have a good day Sohma-kun!"** The three girls shouted and waved. Haru didn't even bother to glance in their direction. He merely quickened his pace and reached for Kagome's hand, dragging her with him.

Kagome suppressed her cries as she and Haru exited from the building. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed how the three girls glowered in her direction. She grimaced again.

"Tohru-chan~!" sang Momiji. He ran towards her, his arms out front and his cute little hat sported atop his head. Just when he was in arms reach of Tohru, Yuki came forward and pulled him back, chastising him.

Kagome found it odd, but decided to leave it be as it was. Haru sighed and released his grip from her hand. Moving closer, he placed a hand onto Momiji's shoulder and silently spoke with him. Momiji's eyes watered and his bottom lip trembled. Evidently, he was not pleased and Kagome actually felt a little bit bad for the boy. After all, what had he done? Nothing was the simple answer.

_'Kagome they're not your family, there's no need to think like this,'_ she thought to herself.

Exhaling a sigh, she agreed with the statement and decided to move forward. What the Sohmas did between themselves was none of her business. It was their family and their priorities. She would merely need to learn to respect their decisions.

"Kagome-chan, how are you?" Tohru moved forward, smiling wide. "Is that your dance bag?" She noticed the light rose bag that Kagome had strapped to her shoulders. "Are your… Pointe shoes in there?" It took Tohru a moment to determine the proper word for the shoes, as she is not too familiar with the art of ballet.

"Hai," replied Kagome. "Everything is inside." Right before she had made her way to her sixth class, Kagome had decided she should stop by her locker in order to pick up her dance bag. She knew her three remaining teachers wouldn't mind if she kept the bag with her throughout the remainder of the day, thus the move had been perfect.

"Oh, Kagome-chan, you'll have to show me some moves." Tohru was so excited. She could not wait to see Kagome in action. "Ballet is so beautiful. I'm sure you look beautiful when you dance."

"Me too, I think that way too!" Momiji added in. "Kagome-chan's already pretty, and I'm sure that when dancing, she's even prettier. Don't you agree, Haru?"

Haru grunted. Momiji laughed and Kagome arched a brow.

"Where is Kyo-san?" She added, deciding to change the topic.

"In detention," Yuki replied softly. Kagome noted how he was smiling. Was he… happy by the news? She wondered.

"His session doesn't end for another hour and a half," Tohru replied softly. "We would wait for him. But you said that you can't stay long Kagome. So we're going to head home."

"That stupid cat knows his way home, Miss Honda. Don't worry." Yuki said, attempting to soothe the brunette. "The house will be loud again in no time. Don't worry about it."

"I suppose so," she sighed, her shoulders slouched forward.

Momiji clasped his hands together. "Let's get going~!" He sang, marching forward. "I'll lead." With a jump and a hop, he took off, skipping down the way. Yuki sighed and followed him with a quiet Tohru.

Kagome rubbed her temples, feeling a headache about to break lose.

"You okay?" asked Haru as they started to follow behind the rest of the group.

"I'm okay," she sighed. "I'm just worried for Tohru-chan. She looked so disappointed about not being able to walk home with Kyo-san." Though she did not favour the red haired boy too much, he did seem to hold a special place inside Tohru's heart.

"Like Yuki said, don't worry about it." Haru crossed his arms behind his head. "Kyo will be out sooner than anyone knows it – or hopes for it."

Beads of sweat formed behind Kagome's head. She did not know how to reply to such a statement. "Sohma-san… I'm sorry, but I have no clue on how to reply to that."

Haru snorted, much to her surprise. "It's fine. I didn't you expect you too."

Her eyes narrowed. Was he making fun of her again?

"I am not making fun of you," he clarified, seeming to be able to read her thoughts. "You just don't know how this family works, that's all."

Kagome stopped walking. "What is that supped to mean exactly?"

"It means what it means," he shrugged. "There's a lot about us that you don't know about, and should never know about. It would be best actually, if you stopped seeing us altogether."

She grit her teeth. "Sohma-san, I am afraid to inform you that is impossible, because—"

"Of Kisa-chan," he finished. "I know." Both teens now stopped walking. "Kisa-chan enjoys your lessons too much to quit. The other members of the family are already seeing progress with her, and don't want her to quit either."

Kagome's eyes softened. "That's good to know."

"However," Haru added on. "Just because Kisa-chan will continue to remain in the classes, doesn't mean that you should continue to stay friends with us." A spark erupted into the air. Suddenly the atmosphere felt much tenser than it was before.

"Is that so?" She hissed venomously. "Well, I didn't even know that there was a "friendship" forming between any of us except between Tohru-chan, Arisa-chan and Saki-chan."

Haru grunted. "It would be best if you didn't stay friends with them either." He exhaled a sigh. "For everyone's best interests – yours especially – it would be beneficial if you stopped spending time with us." He continued to walk. "Maybe you should tell Honda-san that there is something you have to take care of, after all, it would—"

"Be quiet!" She hollered her voice loud. Haru stopped walking. "Stop telling me what I should do, or who I should spend my time with." She pointed a finger accusingly in Haru's direction. "You have no right to tell me what I should do. I am an individual who can make up her own mind and formulate her own decisions solely, without having to rely on someone I barely know."

He arched a brow. "Is that so?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

Kagome huffed and puffed. Her face was a bright shade of red. Her eyes were narrowed, filled with hatred as she scowled towards Haru. "What's your problem?" She demanded. "Why, why… why must you act like such a cow?"

Haru's eyes widened. His jaw nearly fell open.

"You heard me!" She cried, pointing a finger towards him.

He exhaled a deep sigh and narrowed his eyes. Balling his hands up into his fists, he hissed with displeasure and continued on his way. "I've had enough of this," he grumbled under his breath. "I was just trying to help, that's all."

"How is that helping?" Kagome demanded. "You're doing nothing but making a scene."

"No." He shook his head. "You're the one making the scene." Then he continued to walk forward. Kagome watched him move on and suppressed a scream. She stomped a foot into the ground in protest and pushed herself to move forward.

'_Who does he think he is… telling me who I should and shouldn't spend my time with. The nerve of him, that stupid cow,_ (1)' she thought, her right eye twitching. _'I'll show him.'_

* * *

"We're home." Tohru chimed and opened the door. She, Yuki and Momiji walked inside.

"Welcome home," Shigure called from the main room.

"Greetings!" another person called. Yuki's jaw dropped. It wasn't him. It could not be him. "Yuki!" rounding the bend, his arms extended forward and a smile plastered onto his face was none other than Ayame. His hair blew in the distance and tears of joy streamed down his face as he zoomed in on his brother. "How are you doing? I hope it all went—" Yuki never allowed Ayame to finish his sentence, since he moved out of the way in time, allowing Ayame to fall forward through the front door.

Tohru screamed and Momiji reached inside his pocket, withdrawing a lollipop.

Ayame, with eyes swirling, groaned in pain. "Oh, Yuki~!" he whined, "How cruel."

Yuki rolled his eyes, "Idiot."

"Hello Ayame." Ayame looked up, meeting with the gazes of a stoic Haru and confused Kagome.

"Oh, Haru, it's so good to see you. We haven't talked in such a long time." Back to his usual self, Ayame got up from the ground and dusted himself off. "And who is this lovely lady standing before you?" He reached for Kagome's hands, "Maybe a new girlfriend?"

Kagome's face blanched. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but that is not the case." She removed her hands from Ayame's grasp. "I am merely a… classmate." Yes, that sounded correct.

"A… classmate?" exclaimed the snake, his eyebrows widening. "Is that what you children refer to your partners as now?" Kagome and Haru heaved equal sighs.

"My, my, aren't you a beautiful girl." Kagome looked up, meeting with the gazes of yet another man. Unlike the first man, who bore a striking resemblance to Sesshomaru with his long silver hair and pale green eyes, this man looked quite a bit like Miroku, with his short black hair, grey kimono and dark hazel eyes.

"Might I know your name?" The Miroku lookalike inquired.

Kagome could tell from his gaze that he was a pervert. What fun, she thought sarcastically. "Higurashi Kagome," she replied reluctantly.

A look of surprise crossed the man's face. "Higurashi, that sounds quite familiar." He rubbed his chin. "Anyway, my name is Sohma Shigure, and the other beauty standing before you happens to be none other than the talented and perfect Sohma Ayame."

"Shigure, really now, not in front of the children," Ayame protested with a wink. "We can't do anything rash, especially in front of Haru's… classmate." He laughed boastfully, elbowing the Ox. Haru said nothing but merely moved away.

"Oh, is that so." Shigure grinned. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "So, you two… are classmates then. How interesting," he shared a glance with Ayame.

'_They're morons,'_ Kagome thought and moved away.

"Kagome-chan, would you like to show me now?" Tohru said and remerged into the main room. She had changed out of her uniform and was now wearing a comfortable yellow shirt and pink skirt. "I would love to see you dance." She gushed.

"Dance?" Ayame and Shigure shared a glance.

"That's right," Yuki replied, removing his uniform tie. "Miss Higurashi is a dance instructor. In fact, she is Kisa-chan's instructor."

"No wonder your last name sounded familiar." Shigure noted, rubbing his chin in thought. "Hatori had mentioned your name before once calling the studio."

Ayame's eyes widened. "Kagome-chan, please tell me, how is Kisa-chan doing?" He moved over towards her, ignoring the fact that Kagome had moved to hide behind Yuki. "I remember how nervous she first was when we went shopping together for her ballet uniform." Ayame sighed dramatically. The room darkened and a single spotlight fell on him. "She was so sad, so scared. I wanted no more than to whisk her away and make her smile. Yet sadly, Hatori and Shigure wouldn't allow me to." He pouted.

"I see." Kagome sighed when the lights came back on. "What a touching story." A sweat drop formed behind her head.

"Kagome-chan, according to what Hatori says, it sounds like you are quite the reputable teacher at your academy," Shigure boated confidently. "And at your age no less, that is quite an honour. Don't you agree, Aya?"

"Of course I do." He nodded. "And you know what they say of dancers," he laughed, his eyes twinkling. "They're quite the—"

"**STOP!"** screamed Yuki and Haru as they slammed their knuckles against Ayame's head. Ayame fell back with a bang. Tohru jumped, Momiji continued to lick his lollipop and Shigure watched with an amused expression. Meanwhile, Kagome stood opposite everyone else and couldn't help but feel a familiar sensation rekindle inside of her.

'_It's just like back in the Feudal Era,'_ she thought, her eyes watering over.

"Kagome-chan, is something wrong?" Momiji inquired, worried. He noticed her sad face and could not help but frown. "You're not hurt, are you? Did Shigure or Ayame hurt your feelings?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She offered Momiji a heartfelt smile and allowed her bag to slide down onto the ground. Momiji tilted his head to the side and watched as she pulled out her Pointe shoes and a pair of leggings with a matching black skirt.

"Might I go and change?" She asked.

"Of course, I'll show you where the restroom is," suggested Tohru. With a nod, Kagome followed Tohru out of the room, leaving the remaining five Sohma males in the front room. It was all silent for a moment, until Shigure broke the tension. "Um, where is Kyo?"

"In detention," Yuki voiced sourly.

"Ah, I see." He tapped his chin with his fan that lay on the floor. "Well, that's good to know."

"Haru?" exclaimed Ayame, catching his attention. "Might I ask you a question?"

"It depends on what the question is," replied a sour Haru.

"Don't worry, its nothing bad," laughed Ayame.

Haru groaned and nodded.

Ayame smiled. "I just want to know exactly, what does the term "classmate" mean relationship wise exactly. I suppose you could call me old fashioned, but I am merely curious and just want to know exactly what it means. You know me; I must be caught up on the latest trends and sayings—" Haru and Yuki never let him finish, since once more they whacked him on the head.

Shigure sighed and shook his head. "My, my, aren't we getting off on a wonderful foot here."

* * *

**Authors note**

(1) Kagome means nothing bad here. She is merely pissed off and thinking back to that earlier statement, she said. "Why, why… why must you act like such a cow?" That's where she started to think about the cow aspect from. Ironic, huh? XD

As promised, I did update. I hope you all enjoyed it and liked the little bit of interactions with Ayame and Shigure. I must admit, they're my two favourite characters. I just love, love, love their relationship. Its so unique and hilarious at the same time. I wish they were real. It would be so much fun to meet them, don't you agree?

Also, on another side note, would anyone be interested in seeing more action from the "Haru fan club"? I have a little bit planned for that group and Kagome, and am seriously thinking of putting it in. Those fan girls are so funny, yet scary at the same time.

Thanks for reading. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you, so, so, so, so much for all of the reviews. All of you are so awesome! I was seriously not expecting such a large response for the previous chapter. I hope this one met your desires just like the last one did. I know it did for me. LOL. XD

Until next time,

Sincerely,

~TFSA


	9. Chitchats

**Disclaimer**_** – **_I own nothing. All rights belong to the proper owners of Fruits Basket and InuYasha. I merely write this story for amusement. I make no profit from it whatsoever.

* * *

**Name: Kokoro**

**Pairing: Kagome Higurashi/ Hatsuharu Sohma**

**Chapter Eight: Chitchats**

* * *

**Written: 22/08/12**

* * *

It was a quiet morning inside Shigure's home. Outside, the birds chirped and the crickets sung, signalling the beginning of a new day. The home's youngest occupations were still fast asleep, tucked away in the comforts of their beds and cozy covers. Currently, the sole person awake was the owner, the dog himself, Shigure.

Shigure sat inside his office, a pencil tucked behind his ear and his glasses on. Computer turned off and manuscripts tucked away, the dog was in the midst of planning his next major quest. He liked to call it, operation Dancer and Ox. It was a simple enough plan in itself. Shigure merely wanted to attempt to "help" smoothen out Kagome and Haru's relationship.

Though he may act like an idiot, Shigure was far from one. He, unlike the others, had noticed the way Haru's eyes had wandered off towards Kagome as she taught Tohru a few simple dance moves the other passing night. It was simple enough to understand what was going on, or, would most likely occur in the future – if actions were planned out properly and followed precisely.

He clicked his tongue and reached for his pen. Sprawled out across three sheets of paper stuck together with tape, was Shigure's plan for how to unit the two youngsters together. With some careful crafting, and help from his partner Ayame, Shigure was certain that by the end of the school year, Kagome and Haru would be on their way to dating.

"Haru and Kagome sitting in a tree… K-I-S-S-I-N-G~!" he sang, musical notes forming around him. "I just know that this plan will work out." His glasses slid downwards. A glimmer of excitement passed through his eyes. With a chuckle, he reached for the phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.

The phone rang once, then twice, before it was answered. "Hello?" A groggy voiced questioned.

"Aya~!" exclaimed Shigure. "I hope I was not interrupting your dreams of the two of us."

"Oh, Shigure, you should know that you could **never** do that." Ayame teased him on the other end. "If anything, you waking me up made the dream even better." Shigure pictured him winking on the other end. Ayame yawned. "Shigure, I hate to be a bother, but is there a reason as of why you phoned me so early?"

Shigure glanced towards his clock. It was a quarter past five a.m. Even for Ayame, that was early. "I'm sorry to have woken you up," Shigure sighed sincerely. "But I was hoping that you might be able to help me with something."

"Oh, and what might that be?"

Shigure smirked. "Tell me Aya, what do you think about operation Dancer and Ox?"

…

…

…

* * *

Kagome quietly sat in her fourth period class, writing away in her notebook. Her English teacher was absent for the day, and had left an ample amount of work to be completed for when she returned. Unlike her fellow peers, who were not doing their work but instead socializing, Kagome was actually working on the assigned task. Notebook out and book open, she was making notes on the next chapter of the book they were reading, when suddenly someone called out her name.

She looked up, curious, and saw a teacher standing by the door. "Sorry to interrupt," the teacher said, speaking to the substitute teacher. "But there is someone downstairs who arrived in the main office. He requested to speak to Higurashi-san. He said it was quite important."

Kagome's eyebrows shot up. Who could have come to see her, she wondered.

The substitute nodded and told Kagome it would be best if she packed away all of her belongings. Kagome agreed and quickly tucked her books and notebooks into her bag. Zipping it up, she moved towards the door and exited with the other teacher. The two walked in silence for a moment and neared the end of the corridor.

It was then that Kagome asked who was waiting for her.

"It's your uncle," the teacher said simply. "I believe his name is… Ayame Higurashi."

Her face paled and she stopped dead in her tracks.

"_Ayame Higurashi?"_ she thought, her right eye twitching._ "I don't have an uncle named Ayame Higurashi."_

"Higurashi-san, is something wrong?" The teacher inquired.

Kagome shook her head, smiling meekly. "No, nothing's wrong… Let's just keep moving."

The teacher eyed her wearily, "Yes, let's. Your uncle must not be kept waiting any longer."

Kagome's eyebrows shot up. "For sure," she squeaked, "For sure."

* * *

"Hello?" Um, uncle… Ayame, is that you?" Kagome asked as she walked into an empty meeting room. Inside the main office were multiple meeting rooms where discussions held between the principal and the student council occurred, where the parent-teacher association met for their weekly meeting, and so forth. Some rooms were even used when students had their family visiting them – usually to drop off a forgotten textbook or lunchbox. But this time, it was different.

"Higurashi-san, your uncle firmly stated that he wanted to talk with you privately inside one of the offices." When Kagome and the teacher had arrived to the main office, the secretary, a lovely young woman in her early thirties with a cute hairstyle, had said to her that her uncle was waiting inside the third office.

Confused, Kagome had accepted the information with a reluctant nod and made her way into the third office. Someone sat in one of the few chairs, calmly sipping away at a cup of tea. Their back faced her, which revealed a long set of silver hair.

_"No."_ Her face paled. _"It can't be him. Please, for Kami's sake, don't let it be him!"_

The person turned around. "Kagome-chan~!" he exclaimed happy. It was Ayame Sohma.

"Shit!" Kagome cursed. She made a quick turn for the door, but stopped. And why is that you might ask? Is it because Kagome realized the error she was about to make? That she should not have cursed in front of the older man, but rather greet him politely and be happy that he visited her. If you check marked any of those answers, you are wrong. In actuality, Kagome stopped because Ayame had reached out and grabbed a hold of her blouse.

She cursed again.

"Kagome-chan, really, that is not how you should greet a guest." Ayame scolded. He got up from the chair and moved closer towards her. Standing just mere feet apart, he extended his arms forward, smiling wide. "This is how you should greet someone of my standing!" He exclaimed. "By extending your arms out wide and smiling like there is no tomorrow. Because, after all, I am one who makes impressions upon people for life…" he laughed hotly.

Kagome suppressed a groan. She was not in the mood for his. "Ayame-san, is there a reason behind your visit?" She just wanted to go back upstairs and continue her schoolwork. Ayame was already giving her a headache and she had been talking with him for less than a minute.

Ayame sighed. "Why yes, there is." A serious look crossed his face.

Kagome blinked, interested.

"Kagome-chan, I have something very important I need to ask of you. It is of the utmost important that you follow through with my directions. Understood?" He waved a hand teasingly in front of her face. She swatted the hand away and demanded that he get on with it.

Ayame shook his head and sat back down in the plush leather chair. "Really, none of you children ever seem excited by my visits," he spoke. "If I were you, I would be delirious with joy over the fact that the great and humble Ayame Sohma has come to pay you a visit – and at school, no less."

Kagome slouched forward. Her bag fell off her shoulders. "Ayame-san, please, I beg of you. Just get on with it."

He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "If you insist," he replied and took a quick sip of his tea. Where did he get that tea anyway, she wondered, perplexed. "Kagome, like I said so before, I have a task I would like you to do for me."

"Go on." She leaned against the table.

"I would like for you to accompany Hatsuharu to my shop this weekend."

"What?" She fell back, landing onto the table. "Are you serious?"

"Quite serious," he replied, towering over her. "I have been wanting Haru to come by my shop for a while now. We're in dire need of a talk. We barely spend any time together."

"Okay… then why do I need to accompany him?" She sat up, her eyes locked on Ayame. "Shouldn't Sohma-san be able to visit your shop on his own?"

Ayame sighed and shook his head. A dreadful expression graced his face. "Kagome-chan, you might not be aware of this, but Haru has a terrible sense of direction. He's always getting himself lost. Even when he heads to places he's been numerous times." He reached inside his pocket for something. Kagome watched him, both curious and concerned.

"That is why; I would like you to come with him to the shop this weekend, so that you can act as his guide. Here are the directions." Ayame handed her a small piece of pink paper. It had the name of Ayame's shop written in bold red letters on the top and the store's hours down below. Kagome turned the page. On the back were a set of simple directions. She read them over once and slid the paper into her blouse pocket.

"The directions are simple enough to follow," she murmured. Ayame nodded accordingly. "But still, why do you want me to accompany Sohma-san. Why not Momiji-kun or Tohru-chan instead?" she inquired.

"Because Momiji would cause too much disruption within the shop, even if I closed it for the day," Ayame explained. "And well, though I enjoy having Tohru-chan visit my shop, I do not particularly want either Yuki-kun or Kyo to start a brawl inside my store."

"I can understand that." Kagome replied. Beads of sweat formed behind her head. "Yuki and Kyo do not get along too well." She recalled some of their previous lunches. Almost everyday, at least one argument erupted between the two of them.

"The two of them get along almost as well as a cat and rat would." Ayame laughed.

Surprisingly, Kagome agreed with him on that.

Ayame leaned further back into his chair. "Kagome-chan, do you understand now why I would like you to accompany Haru to my shop?"

"Somewhat," she replied, her voice uneven. She still wasn't too keen on the idea.

"I'll explain everything to Haru," Ayame replied and waved his hands up into the air. "Would that make this even easier for you?" Kagome exhaled a sigh. If Ayame were to explain it to Haru, perhaps it would make the trip a little less awkward. She thought it over for a minute. Then, rather reluctantly, she nodded. Ayame smiled, pleased.

"Wonderful, just wonderful," he clapped. "This is just perfect." He reached into his other pocket and withdrew another note. "Kagome-chan, if you don't mind, might you give this to Haru? I know that you both have the same lunch and sit together. So it would be quite easy for you to give it to him."

Kagome was surprised that he knew that information. A part of her was tempted to ask just how he had found out that little bit out, but another part warned her about the consequences of what would most likely erupt because of it. Choosing to ignore her temptation, she kindly accepted the note and clutched it tightly within her palm.

"Thank you," Ayame whispered. "That saves me quite a bit of time in needing to track him down and deliver it to him personally." He watched as Kagome bent down and retrieved her backpack. She slung it over her shoulders and slowly inched towards the door.

"Is that it?" She asked.

Ayame nodded. "Yes, we're done."

She broke out into a wide grin. "Thank goodness." She laughed and bowed politely. "Um, thank you for, eh, visiting me." She bowed again. "I, uhh, really appreciate it, Ayame-san." She laughed nervously. "I would like to stay longer, but I must be making my way back to class."

"I understand," he nodded. "It is school time right now. And I did interrupt you from your class time. I'm sorry." He offered her a sincere smile. "I hope I did not disturb you before."

She waved her hands in protest. "It was fine. My regular teacher was not in today, and the only real work she left was for us to make notes on the next chapter of a book we're reading. Really, you did not interrupt anything, Ayame-san."

He looked relieved. "That's good to know."

Kagome slid the door open and walked out. "Thank you so much for everything, _uncle _Ayame," she winked and shut the door. Ayame suppressed a grin and merely watched her retreating figure. When he could no longer see her, he smiled amusedly.

"No, you're wrong Kagome-chan. For it should be I, who thanks you. After all, you've just initiated the start of a wonderful operation," he explained. "An operation I like to call… love."

* * *

**Author's Note –** I know I said in the summary that Kisa would be attempting to set up Haru and Kagome. Have no fear, I remember that and have already planned for it. The little tiger will have her part in this quest too, don't you all worry about that. I know what I'm doing.

~TFSA


	10. Daily Excursions

**Disclaimer**_** – **_I own nothing. All rights belong to the proper owners of Fruits Basket and InuYasha. I merely write this story for amusement. I make no profit from it whatsoever.

**Author's Note – **Thank you for so much positive feedback on this story. I never expected for so many of you to be enjoying this. It really makes me smile. I hope you will enjoy the chapter.

Also, before I forget, I completed a story yesterday. It is called "**The Chosen Heroes**" and is a Legend of Zelda (Ocarina of Time)/ InuYasha crossover. The pairing is Kagome/Link. If you like either and/or both series, then please check it out. Anyhow, enjoy the chapter. :)

* * *

**Name: Kokoro**

**Pairing: Kagome Higurashi/ Hatsuharu Sohma**

**Chapter Nine: Daily Excursions**

* * *

**Written: 27/08/12**

* * *

Kagome sighed and walked up the remaining steps. With Ayame's note securely tucked away inside her front pocket, she fiddled with her sweaty palms and gulped. There were only three steps left before she reached the rooftop. Beads of sweat formed behind her head.

She inched forward and reached for the handle hesitantly. When she walked outside, the sun's rays glimmered down on her, yet it did nothing to calm her nerves.

_Here goes nothing._ Sitting by the front of the rooftop was Momiji and Haru. No one else had yet to arrive. Kagome smiled. _That makes it a little bit easier_, she thought.

"Kagome-chan!" exclaimed Momiji. He jumped up and ran towards her.

"Hi there," she greeted shyly.

"Hi, hi~!" he laughed and waved with both hands.

Kagome chuckled and shook her head. She allowed Momiji to take her hand and lead her over towards Haru.

Haru looked up and watched her. She gulped and reached for the note. "Sohma-san, your cousin Ayame-san stopped by before… he wanted me to give you this."

Haru raised a brow. "Ayame stopped by?" He clutched the note in his right palm.

Kagome nodded. "That's right. It was right towards the end of fourth period."

Haru unfolded the note and began to read it. Kagome watched his eyes move from left to right. Once he was finished, he looked up. "Did you agree already?" He asked.

Sheepishly, she rubbed the back of her neck. "How could I refuse?" She muttered dryly. "Ayame-san is so… persuasive." She struggled to find the proper word.

Haru exhaled and smiled meekly. "That's a good way to put it."

She slouched forward. _At least he's taking it well. That's good._

Momiji inched closer towards Haru. "What does the note say?" He asked curiously.

Haru tucked it into his back pocket. Momiji pouted and wailed. "Ayame wants Higurashi-san and I to visit his shop this weekend." He explained and reached for his bento. "Apparently, we need to talk about something." Kagome noticed his eyes darken.

"Does it mention a time?" She questioned.

Haru shook his head. "He just wants us there before one."

_Okay… completely manageable… thank goodness_

Momiji's pout extended. "It's this Saturday? That means I can't come. I have to stay home and clean." He cried and leaned back against the wall.

Kagome's eyes softened as she reached inside her own bag.

"Higurashi-san, do you know how to arrive there?" Haru asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes." She reached into her bag. "Ayame-san had given me a set of directions."

"That's good." Momiji laughed. "Without those directions, Haru would have gotten you lost."

Haru's eyes narrowed. "Not funny," he grumbled under his breath.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Ayame-san said the same thing," she realized. "Sohma-san, are you really that bad with directions?" She watched him closely.

Haru looked up and met her gaze. "I don't get lost," he explained. "I… I only take a wrong turn every now and then."

…

…

…

"Haru, you liar!" laughed Momiji. "We all know that's not true."

Kagome sighed and looked down. "I see."

Haru groaned and fiddled with his chopstick. "Is there something wrong with that?" He asked, his voice becoming hoarse. "Is there?" He repeated, glowering towards Kagome.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Haru looked quite agitated. She shook her head.

"Nothing at all," she explained. "In fact, people take wrong turns all the time. I know I do it too quite a bit. There's nothing to be embarrassed by it." She took a bite out of her spring roll. "I'm sorry if I offended you in any way," she apologized truthfully. "If I said anything to annoy you Sohma-san, I do not mean it."

"… Thank you," he nodded.

She merely nodded in return.

Momiji glanced back and forth between Kagome and Haru. Both were silent, but seemed quite comfortable. Inside his head, he laughed and grinned widely.

* * *

_**A few days later…**_

* * *

The rest of the week passed by quickly, and before either Kagome or Haru knew it, the day to visit Ayame's shop had arrived. Kagome had explained to Haru the day before school ended, to stop by the dance studio at eleven. That way, both could make their way down to Ayame's shop, since the shop was located not too far from the studio.

Kagome was in the midst of removing the last remaining pins from her hair, when Haru walked into the studio. She waved from inside the classroom and moved towards the door.

Dressed in his usual gothic style, Haru stood out amongst the young mothers and fathers who were watching their young ones dance. A few mothers whispered and pointed towards Haru, studying him appreciatively.

Kagome shook her head and tried to conceal her amusement.

_Even women ten years old than him are attracted to him…_

She rolled her eyes. "Good morning, Sohma-san," she greeted and bowed.

"Good morning." Haru bowed in return. "Are you ready to go?"

"I just need to get my bag." She ushered the boy outside of the dance room and shut the door. "I'll just be a minute." She then headed towards the staff office and picked up her bag. Sliding it over her shoulders, she walked out and shut the door.

"We can go now."

Haru looked up and nodded. Together, both exited from the studio and made their way outside. It was silent between the two of them as Kagome withdrew the instruction sheet and started to lead.

"What did you teach today?" Haru asked curiously.

"Pointe," she said simply.

"That's ballet, right?" He asked hesitantly and rubbed the back of his neck. Dance was not really one of his specialities, to put it at best.

Kagome stifled a laugh. "That's correct. We turn left."

"What else do you teach?" He asked.

"Jazz and simple ballet – Kisa-chan's class is what I mean by that."

"How is it simple ballet?" He wondered.

"The steps and movements the girls practice are simpler than what happens in the advanced classes," Kagome explained easily. "If the young girls continue to dance and take ballet, eventually they would reach the higher levels."

"And Pointe is a higher level?"

Kagome shook her head. "It is much harder."

Haru raised an eyebrow. "What's the difference?"

"Turn right." Both turned down another street, arriving to a busier street with few shops that littered both ends. "Pointe requires much more strength. To be able to dance on Pointe, meaning almost on the very tips of your toes, requires much endurance and training. For most girls, it takes them quite a few years before they are even able to qualify for it."

"And how do you qualify for it?"

"At my studio, you must pass a test in order to be able to graduate to Pointe," she said. "We need to cross the street and turn left by the lights." She pointed out. "The test is simple but hard. You need to be able to withstand an entire class by dancing on the tips of your toes."

"Without the Pointe shoes, right?" Haru questioned.

"That's right," she nodded. "The dancer must be able to handle performing all usual bar exercises, center exercises and other specific movements or combinations while holding themselves up on their tippy toes." She looked away. "Not forgetting the fact that most of the girls need to be over the age of twelve to even be eligible to try for the test is a big factor."

"Why?" Haru stopped walking.

"Because the growth of the foot is usually finished around the age of twelve," she explained.

"Ah." Haru nodded, "Makes sense."

"Most girls wait until they're fourteen – at least, that's how it is at our studio." Kagome rubbed the back of her neck. "We should be right here." She said and started to look around. "Do you see the sign for Ayame-san's shop?"

"There." Haru pointed towards an overly decorated sign. It had two pink roses on the front, and Ayame's shop name sprawled out across the top. Kagome held back a grimace and looked up. Above was a large green canopy with a fairy and a snake.

_A snake? How odd._

"Come on." Haru walked towards the doors. "Let's get this over with."

"Right."

Both walked inside. It was a fairly nice store from a first glance. There were multiple racks for different style materials and threads, and in front, there were numerous baskets filled with various accessories – ribbons, ruffles and bows galore. The walls were a soothing yellow and the floor was a calming pale blue.

Kagome nodded appreciatively. "It's quite nice."

"I suppose."

"Haru, Kagome-chan, is that you?" Ayame called from behind. He emerged from a green door and smiled their way. "Welcome. I'm so glad you both could make it." He reached for Kagome's hand and surveyed her from head to toe. "My, my, were you two busy before arriving here?" He wondered. "You're all covered in sweat."

Kagome's cheeks heated up. "It's not like that!" She protested, waving her hands. "Before arriving, I was busy teaching a dance class. That's why I'm all sweaty."

"Ah, I suppose that makes sense," Ayame mumbled. "What class was it?"

"Pointe," Haru explained.

Ayame's eyes widened. "That means you're a professional dancer!" He exclaimed gleefully in front of Kagome. She backed away and inched closer towards Haru. "Kagome-chan, you must simply try on something for me." Ayame reached for her hands. "Do you still have your tights and Pointe shoes with you? What about your hair pins and a brush?"

Regretfully, Kagome nodded.

Ayame's eyes grew and his smile widened even more. "Perfect!" He cried. "Mine-chan, are you there?"

"Yes?" Someone called out from the back. "Do you need me?"

"Yes. Can you please bring out the dancer outfit?"

"Of course." The sound of rummaging was heard. Kagome blinked and watched as a young woman in her mind twenties, carrying a white zipped up bag emerged. She wore a white frilly maid's outfit and had light brown haired tied up into two short braids.

She smiled and walked towards them. "This is your cousin, Sohma Hatsuharu, right?" She asked and leaned over to shake his hand. "It's been a while since we've last seen each other."

"A few months," Haru clarified.

The woman nodded. She then looked over towards Kagome. "And you must be Higurashi Kagome, no? I'm Mine Kurami, I'm Ayame's assistant."

Kagome bowed respectfully. "It is quite nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Mine retorted with a bow. "Kagome-chan, if you wouldn't mind, could you please follow me to the back room?" She reached for Kagome's hands and had sparkles forming around her. Mine's eyes narrowed as she surveyed Kagome from head to toe. "I'm sure this outfit will look wonderful on you. Tell me, do you still have your tights on? Oh, what colour are they?"

"W-White…" Kagome stuttered, fearful. She glanced back towards Haru with a worried expression. Haru merely blinked and shrugged his shoulders. Kagome sighed sadly.

"Please come this way, Kagome-chan." Mine reached for her hand and began to lead her towards the back room. Dejectedly, Kagome followed, muttering under her breath.

Ayame watched both females walk away, and when they were gone, he turned his attention back towards Haru. "While Kagome-chan is changing, shall we talk?" He asked.

Haru's eyes narrowed. "Fine," he agreed.

"Superb!" Ayame cheered. He led Haru over towards his set of plush sofas and sat down. Haru sat in the one across from him and studied his older cousin intently. Ayame frowned. "Haru, what's with the staring?" He asked curiously.

"Why did you invite us here?" Haru asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

"I told you in the letter." Ayame shrugged his shoulders. "We have not seen each other in a while, and I merely wished to talk with you. **Alone.** Now tell me, is that bad?"

Haru leaned further back into the sofa. "With you, it's never simple."

Ayame shook his head. "Haru, you have such little faith in me. Just like Kyo-kun." He sighed dramatically. "I suppose that just comes with the prize of being as perfect and gallant as I." He raised a fist into the air and gazed proudly up into the sky.

Haru blinked, saying nothing.

"Moving onto another topic," Ayame clasped his hands together. "How are you fairing?"

"How… am I fairing?" Haru repeated, perplexed, "By what exactly?" His eyes narrowed.

"Your break up with Rin Sohma," Ayame shrugged his shoulders once more.

…

…

…

The air grew tense. It was almost as if there were sparks forming. Haru hissed and seethed with anger. He began to breathe in and out of his nose and had to constantly pinch the bridge of it in order to calm down. Ayame watched him calmly.

"It's fine." Haru gritted his teeth. "She wanted it to end. That's that." He crossed his arms over his toned chest and shut his eyes.

"Oh." Ayame did not believe him though. It was easy enough to tell that Haru still cared for her. Maybe he even wanted her back. _"Not once Shigure and I are through with our little plan though." _He thought, grinning_. "By the end, Haru will be head over heels for Kagome-chan."_

Ayame stifled a laugh. He fixed his kimono's collar. "If that's how you feel, then so be it."

Haru opened his eyes.

"However, isn't it nice to have someone special?" Ayame asked. "Someone that means a lot to you and cares for you dearly?" he explained.

Haru's eyes clouded over. It looked like he was on the verge of switching into his darker side, Black Haru, the family liked to call it.

Ayame waved a finger in front of his face. "Haru, I do **not** want you trashing my shop." He warned. Haru rolled his eyes. "It costs money to replace any broken items. Do you understand?"

Haru heaved a sigh and looked away.

Ayame grinned. "Good. I'm glad to see that we're on the same page. Would you like something to eat?" He rose up from the sofa. "Maybe some tea or biscuits that Mine-chan had just baked? I must warn you now though, once you have one, you will not be able to stop." He laughed.

"No thank you." Haru mumbled his tone dry.

Ayame frowned. "I'll bring you some tea then."

"We're finished~!" Mine sang, emerging from the back. "Are you ready?"

"Of course we are. Please, bring her out." Ayame gushed. "We're both quite excited. Isn't that right, Haru?"

Haru turned to face them, saying nothing.

"Here's Kagome-chan." Mine reached for her hand and led her out. "Doesn't she look beautiful?" Kagome had on a tight fitting sleeveless white dress. The front had a stunningly deep neckline, decorated with many glimmering rhinestones. The rhinestones went all way down to her waist and stopped, since the dress extended outwards, forming the shape of an actual tutu. The tutu puffed outwards somewhat to reveal many different forms of frills. The frills were all different shades of white, with a touch of grey embedded in the middle. Topped off with her white tights and her hair tied back into a bun – with a white ribbon – she was a vision.

Kagome walked forward, moving in an odd fashion. Haru leaned further over and noticed that she had her Pointe shoes on. He raised an eyebrow.

"Kagome-chan, you look wonderful!" Ayame shouted, "A true vision in white."

Kagome sighed and made her way towards the sofa. She sat down next to Haru. "Thank you," she nodded her face blank.

"She fits the dress perfectly!" Mine shouted victoriously. "I'm so happy that she had her tights and shoes with her. It helps to complete the outfit."

"She looks like a true ballerina star from above." Ayame smiled. "What do you have to say, Haru? Doesn't she look wonderful in my newest creation?"

Haru glanced towards Kagome.

Kagome stared right back.

Both of their expressions with neutral and unreadable. If possible, both looked partially annoyed and tired. Ayame stifled his laughter while Mine looked on confused.

"Mine-chan, please help me fetch our guests some tea," Ayame said, leading her away.

"Right away, Boss."

Kagome watched them walk away. When they were gone, she bent down and started to undo the ribbons to her Pointe shoes. Haru watched her curiously. Kagome looked up with a deadpanned expression. "I'm just taking off the shoes," she said simply. "I do not want to wear them unless I'm actually practising." She reached over for her bag and slid them inside.

Haru shrugged his shoulders, "Fair enough."

She raised an eyebrow. "I was not hoping to be made into a dress up doll," she said, her nose crunched. "I've got better things to do than this."

"Like what?"

"Laundry, finish my math homework, make dinner and vacuum."

Haru blinked, slightly surprised. "Isn't there someone to help you with all of that?" He asked.

Kagome's eyes darkened. "I live alone," she said. "So no one else can help." She leaned further back into the sofa. "However, coming here did turn out to have one positive."

"And that would be?"

"I found out that Ayame-san is a wonderful seamstress. Well, is a wonderful man who knows how to and enjoys sewing." She beamed happily. "That will be quite good to know for later-on."

Haru was just about to ask why, when suddenly, Ayame and Mine returned. Mine move forward, carrying a pale pink tray with matching cups. She deposited them onto the small coffee table and sat down next to Kagome. She frowned. "Kagome-chan, you removed your shoes." All that Kagome had on her feet was her tights. "The outfit looked so much nicer with them on."

"Mine-chan, I suppose that Kagome-chan merely did not want to ruin them," Ayame suggested.

Mine lit up. "That makes sense." She leaned over and began to pour the tea.

"Well, tell us more about yourself, Kagome-chan." Ayame urged her on and sat down.

"Why?" She asked, accepting the teacup from Mine.

"Why?" Ayame repeated, baffled. "Why it's in the very nature that…" While Ayame continued to speak, Kagome blocked him out. Suppressing the urge to yawn, she chose to stare towards Haru. She watched the way his white brows furrowed together and how his eyes darkened the more he listened to Ayame talk.

_So he's not the only one who's annoyed,_ she thought. She started to smile. _At least that makes two of us._

"And that is why, Kagome-chan, you should tell us about yourself," Ayame finished. "What do you say?"

Kagome looked up and met his gaze. She sighed and slouched forward. "Fine, what do you want to know?"

"**Everything!"** chorused Ayame and Mine.

Kagome slapped her forehead. This would be a long day.

Haru released a small chuckle and shook his head.

Unknowingly, Ayame glanced in his direction and smiled. Behind his back, he formed a ginormous thumbs up.

* * *

Kagome and Haru exited from Ayame's shop together. Ayame waved them off, smiling widely. The few people that walked on the streets stopped to stare. Kagome groaned and Haru merely sighed. When they rounded a corner and could no longer hear or see Ayame, they stopped walking so quickly.

"Sohma-san," she said. "I have something to ask you."

"What is it?" Haru stopped walking.

"Might I call you by your first name?"

Haru's eyes widened. He glanced towards her, confused. "Why?" He asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Although you had told me to stay away from your family, that does not seem to be possible." She spoke, referring to when Ayame asked if Haru and Kagome would be visiting Shigure's home next weekend. "It seems like—"

"They don't want you to leave," he sighed, interrupting her.

"Exactly," she murmured.

Haru pursed his lips together. "When I told you to stay away, I meant it." He moved towards a nearby store and leaned against its brick façade. "Our family… is no good for you."

"You mentioned that before, but never told me why," she persisted. He looked up, meeting her worried stare. "At least tell me why you want me to stay away."

"I can't!" He shouted and banged his fist against the wall.

Kagome jumped. "Fine!" she cried, her voice rising. "You're still as rude as before!" Her hair stood up and her eyes looked to have a bright fire burning inside of them.

Haru ran a hand through his hair. "Damn it!" He cursed. "Damn it all."

_Damn what all… Sohma-san?_

Haru exhaled loudly through his nose. "If you want to… you can call me by my first name," he stuttered, his voice cracking. To Kagome, it sounded like he was in a fair amount of pain.

_Weird._

She blinked. "Thank you, Hatsuharu-san," she smiled and bowed. "If you would like, you can call me by my first name too."

Haru nodded. "I'll consider it, Kagome-san."

She hushed a snort. "I suppose we should keep going then."

Haru shoved his hands into his pockets and got up from the wall. Together, both then continued to walk down the sidewalk.

* * *

It was almost nightfall. The stars twinkled beautifully outside and few clouds littered the air. Wearing a dark tracksuit and white headband, Kagome jogged through the park. Headphones on, she listened to soft music while she ran.

"Kagome-chan, is that you?"

Kagome stopped running but continued to jog on the spot. She glanced towards the side and noticed Shigure standing across the way. She nodded and moved towards him. Her small bag attached to her hip swung violently, nearly hitting Shigure.

He backed away. "Careful now," he warned her.

She rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I thought this was a free park," Shigure said. "Isn't anyone allowed to come here and enjoy the beauty that Mother Nature has bestowed on us?"

She sighed. "Shigure-san, I am not in the mood."

"Fair enough," he laughed. "I take it from your clothing that you're exercising?" He surveyed her quickly and flashed a thumb's up. "Might I say your choice in track wear is quite nice… it complements your skin tone quite well."

Beads of sweat formed behind her head. "Is there something you want?" She asked.

"Now that you mention it, yes," he began. "Tell me, are you finished with your run?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "More or less." She had been running for over an hour. At this point on, she could quit whenever she wanted.

"Perfect." Shigure clasped his hands together. "Then please follow me." He started to walk forward, but stopped upon feeling Kagome glaring towards his back. "Oh." His face paled. "Kagome-chan you're just like the others," he sniffled. "No one has any faith in me." He wailed pitifully.

"That's because most of your remarks make you sound like a pedophile," she confessed.

Shigure felt as though an arrow had stabbed him right in the back. "Oh, Kagome-chan~!" he fell towards the ground, "How cruel!" Tears flowed down his face.

She sighed and bent down. "There, there." She patted his shoulder. "I meant nothing bad."

"Are you sure?" He asked, covering his eyes with his hands, "Because it sure didn't sound like that to me."

She heaved a sigh. "Shigure-san," she groaned.

When he was sure that she was not looking, he glanced towards her and smirked. "If you want, there is a way you can make it up to me." He suggested.

She raised her eyebrows. "How?" she wondered aloud.

"Simple." He sat up, grinning. "Tell me how your day went over a cup of coffee or tea."

Her brows furrowed together. "Shigure-san—"

"**Hey you two, save this sort of stuff for when you're alone!"** Someone shouted and pushed Kagome down. She fell onto Shigure and groaned, swirls forming around her eyes. Meanwhile, Shigure was staring towards Kagome in shock, wondering why he had not transformed.


	11. Suspicions Arise

**Disclaimer**_** – **_I own nothing. All rights belong to the proper owners of Fruits Basket and InuYasha. I merely write this story for amusement. I make no profit from it whatsoever.

* * *

**Name: Kokoro**

**Pairing: Kagome Higurashi/ Hatsuharu Sohma**

**Chapter Ten: Suspicions Arise**

* * *

**Written: 29/08/12**

**Finished 02/09/12**

* * *

Kagome groaned and sat up. "That hurt," she said and rubbed her back.

Shigure sat up, too, watching her carefully. "I suppose that was rather painful," he agreed.

Kagome stood up and brushed herself off. Shigure mirrored her actions but stopped. Lying on the ground was a bright and shiny pink jewel. He bent down to retrieve it. The jewel glistened. Shigure noticed that it was attached to a thin cord. "Kagome-chan, is this yours?" He asked.

"Huh?" She turned around. When noticing the jewel, her eyes widened. "Yes!" She cried and snatched it out of his hands. Shigure jumped back, surprised.

"You're quite possessive about it, aren't you?" He laughed meekly.

Beads of sweat formed behind her head. "Let's just say… I've put a lot of blood and sweat into getting this gem." She laughed uneasily and licked her lips.

Shigure titled his head to the side. Her choice of words confused him. What did she mean by that exactly, he wondered and blinked, dumbfounded.

Kagome clapped her hands together. "Shigure-san, what about that tea you were talking about?"

Shigure watched her slide the jewel back into her bag. "Would you still like to get some?" He asked, his eyebrows rising.

Kagome sighed. "Sure, why not." She rocked back and forth on the tips of her feet. Idly, she glanced around her, surveying the park. No longer did she maintain an air of composure and calmness, but instead, one of anxiety and concern.

Shigure's eyebrows shot up. "If you would like, we can push it off until another day."

"That would be better." She agreed and inched the bag closer towards her. "We can arrange a date later-on." She started on jog on the spot. "Well, I'm not yet finished my run. I'll be seeing you later." Waving one last time, she continued with her run, leaving Shigure behind.

The dog watched her with calculating eyes, both perplexed and interested. "It looks like there is more to her than meets the eye," he realized and rubbed his chin, "How interesting."

* * *

Kagome round another bend and glanced behind her. No one was around.

_Perfect!_

She darted towards a cluster of trees. She pushed her feet to move faster than usual and leaned against a random pine for support. Breathing in and out, she shakily withdrew the jewel from her bag.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I have to think of bringing this with me?_

The jewel should have remained back at her apartment, sealed up inside its magical box, protected by many wards and sutras.

_Instead, I just had to bring it with me… How stupid of me!_

She hissed with displeasure. She balled her free hand into a fist and resisted the urge to punch the tree. Raising the jewel up towards her, she began to inspect it. Her eyes widened.

_The jewel is… glowing. Why?_

Usually, the jewel retained its dark, opaque colouring. It only glistened and glimmered when someone with magical powers touched it (1). However, the jewel was unaffected by her own abilities, since she was the Shikon Miko. Thus, it did not sparkle around her.

_No one else got close enough to me to touch the jewel. Since I am around the jewel – and I had placed sutras inside my bag – no one would have been able to detect its presence… it should have been safe._

"But then it fell out of the bag when that jerk pushed me down." Kagome gasped in realization.

A flash of Shigure formed inside her head. The memories of the event slowly came to mind. Her mouth dropped and her face paled.

_Shigure… Impossible!_

It could not make sense. There was no way Shigure possessed any magical abilities. If he did have any, then she would have noticed them long before.

_Why is it that I never noticed?_

She pursed her lips together and sat down. The pines and needles from the pine trees rustled, and a few dug their way into her skin. She merely ignored them and continued to think.

_Maybe… the jewel was concealing his power from me._

Whenever Kagome carried the jewel around, her magical abilities weakened – sometimes, they even wavered. It had always puzzled her. Even the others back in the Feudal Era. No one understood why Kagome's powers weakened whenever she held onto the jewel.

_Maybe I should pay them a visit,_ she thought. _That way, I can talk to Kaede-san about this, and perhaps determine the truth not just behind the jewel, but also behind Shigure-san's abilities to mask his powers._

She shut her eyes. "There are two weeks left until break. Dance classes will also be cancelled. If I talk to Heidi-san (2), I might be able to negotiate a few days off from personal training." Kagome stood up and dusted herself off. "I've been putting in a lot of hours into training recently. I'm sure she won't mind me taking a few days off."

The miko smirked. "But in the mean time, I'll need to do some investigating of my own. I'll need to check in on Shigure-san and find out just exactly he is hiding."

* * *

The next morning, Kagome headed off to the library. Before deciding to pay a visit to Shigure's home, she opted to head to the library to do some investigating. She wanted to look a little bit into the Sohma family's history.

_There's something different about them, I just can just feel it._ She thought, scanning through a book.

…

…

…

_**"You just don't know how this family works, that's all."**_

_**"There's a lot about us that you don't know about, and should never know about. It would be best actually, if you stopped seeing us altogether."**_

Haru's words resurfaced inside her mind while she sat at a desk, scanning through a large book. She stopped reading and pursed her lips together. "Just what did you mean by that?" She wondered.

"Just what did who mean by what?" Someone asked.

"Huh?" Kagome jumped. She looked up and saw Momiji standing just above her, watching her curiously. She glanced down towards the book and quickly shut it.

"Momiji-kun," she smiled nervously, "How, um, good to see you."

"It's good to see you." He replied and sat down on the table. "What are you reading?" He leaned over, attempting to read the book's cover. But Kagome reached out and pulled it towards her before he could.

"Nothing interesting," she said and tucked it away inside her bag. Thankfully, she had already checked the book out and had the paper with its return date safely tucked away in her back pocket.

Momiji pouted. "That's no fun."

"Momiji, where are you?"

Kagome's face blanched. Momiji jumped to his feet. "Over here, Haru."

Haru grunted and rounded a corner. When seeing Kagome, he stopped walking. "What are you doing here?" He asked. "Kagome-san," he then added a minute later.

"Just checking out some books, Hatsuharu-san," she nodded and stood up.

"You find anything?"

She nodded and patted two other books lying on the table. One was a small red book about genetics and the other was a large blue one about astrology. "I already signed these two out. I was going to read them now, but I guess I'll just read them later."

"That sounds like a plan." Momiji exclaimed and reached for her hand. "We were just looking for some books we need for an English project. Want to help us?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why not."

Haru sighed. "The book we're reading is titled Moonlit Wars (3)."

"It sounds interesting."

"Is it ever interesting," Momiji gushed. "If you want, I'll tell you all about it." Kagome laughed and nodded. "Sure, go ahead." While Momiji summarized the story to Kagome, Haru stood off to the side and watched them carefully. He analyzed Kagome's posture and studied her closely.

…

…

…

Meanwhile, hiding in the shadows, a group of girls whispered amongst themselves. They pointed towards Haru and had hearts floating above their heads.

"**Haru-san,"** they murmured affectionately.

The leader of the group cracked her knuckles and smiled venomously. Her eyes wandered towards the sole female of the group across the way: Kagome Higurashi. She balled her hands into fists and suddenly snapped her fingers.

"Remember the plan?" She whispered, catching all of their attention. The girls looked towards her and nodded, their eyes sparkling with freshly grown flames of pure, undeniable hatred.

"Operation: Embarrass-Higurashi-san-in-front-of-Haru-san-is-about-to-commence."

The girls smiled. "Get into position," their leader commenced, "For we're about to start." Her eyes narrowed. "Higurashi-san will never know what hit her."

* * *

**Author's Note**

(1) Added on for the sake of the story – it might not be true, but just believe it is, okay?

(2) The first name of the owner who runs the dance studio

(3) The title just randomly came to mind. I do not know if it's an actual book.

I know the Shikon No Tama is supposed to increase people's powers, allowing them to become unbelievably strong, but I know what I'm doing. It might not make much sense now, but in the future chapters it will. Don't doubt me on this, okay? I know what I'm doing. :3

~TFSA


	12. Author's Note

Hi everyone. Don't worry, this is not a notice for adoption. I'm just posting this up to ask you all a quick question. Right now, I'm sort of stuck on how to continue the story. I have one more chapter planned out, and after that, I'm a bit lost. If any of you have anything in specific you would like to see occurring in the story, maybe you tell me? (If you want.)

I would like to post up another chapter sometime this week, but want to have a plan for the other chapters before I continue. Problem is though, that I'm stuck.  
Writers block, I guess you could call it. X3 If any of you have any ideas, anything at all, please feel free to suggest.

Thanks for reading.

~TFSA


	13. Fun-filled times

**Author's Note: **I would like to say a big thank you tosignofthemoon, UnstableFable, Guest, ivyknightfire, .Singer, Angel Girl5, Shadow Wolf 15846, kiekie290, xXCrossoverLoverXx, ultima-owner and atwistedconundrum, for offering me such wonderful ideas on how to continue the story. I never knew that so many people truthfully enjoyed it. This chapter in particular, I dedicate to all of you. Thank you so, so much for the care and support.

**Chapter Eleven: **Fun-filled times

* * *

**Written: **October 28, 2012

**Finished:** October 30, 2012

* * *

"Kagome-chan, look at this!" Momiji hummed and reached for a book. "It's filled with so much writing. Maybe it'll help us with our work."

Kagome stifled a laugh, "Momiji-kun that would help if your assignment was on the Meiji Era."

"Huh?" Momiji turned the cover over. Printed neatly on the front was the title: History of Meiji Era Japan. Depressed, he sighed and put the book back onto the shelf. "That's of no use," he pouted.

"We'll keep looking." Kagome patted his shoulder soothingly. "Don't give up just yet."

"Okay!" He nodded, giggling. "Let's keep looking!" He pointed forward and marched. Kagome watched, amused, as the march soon broke out into a gallop.

"He's such a cutie," she mumbled to herself. Humming a cheerful tune, she turned around and started to examine some of the books. Though Momiji and she were within a section of the library that had nothing to do about the books he needed, Kagome was still interested in selecting a few. Gathering one or two, she set about to find Momiji, when a whisper filled the air.

"Stay away!"

She stopped walking. "What on earth?" She turned around noticing a few girls standing by the entranceway of the aisle. Kagome furrowed her brows. "Might I be able to help you?" She asked, question marks hovering above her head.

One of the girls advanced. "You sure can!" She shouted and pointed a finger accusingly in Kagome's direction.

Kagome titled her head to the side. "With what do you need help?"

"You can stay away from Sohma-san!" The three chorused, marching forward. The books slipped from Kagome's grasp, falling to the ground. The banging startled the girls, but did nothing to cease their anger.

"We've seen how you hang around with him at school," one started.

"And how you walk together," another added on.

"And don't forget the hallway time chats!" One more shouted.

Kagome blinked and bent down to retrieve to her books. "What's the problem?" She questioned. "I'm allowed to talk with him, no?"

Steam erupted from their ears. Kagome's jaw dropped. Shit. That was the wrong thing to say, she realized. Kagome glanced down at the other end of the aisle and saw other girls walking forward. In front and behind, she was surrounded.

_I'm trapped;_ she dropped the books again.

A few girls laughed and moved forward. Kagome watched them, expecting some sort of assault to form or break loose. She backed away and leaned against one of the bookshelves.

"You could have stayed away," one murmured, walking forward. Behind her, two girls followed, each carrying buckets. They were filled with colourful and large water balloons.

"You're going to throw those at me?" Kagome said, horrified. Beside the fact that she would be drenched, the girls would ruin the books stacked and organized within the aisle.

"That's right!" One girl pointed a finger at her. "This is just our light punishment we have planned for you." She held her hand out. Another member planted one balloon into her awaiting hand. The leader smirked and got into a proper throwing position.

"Higurashi, you could have just stayed away like most girls would have. But you had to go and spend time with Sohma-san." She brought her arm back. "If none of us can have him, then what makes you think you can?"

Kagome raised her hands into the air. "I don't want him at all," she confessed. "In fact, I can't stand him."

"Lies!" she shouted. "You're just trying to save yourself from getting drenched. Well Higurashi, it's too late for lies or begging. Prepared to get wet and then face what we have waiting for you outside." The girl then threw the water balloon straight at Kagome's face. Kagome brought her hands forward, attempting to shield her face. She shut her eyes and waited to feel the balloon explode and unleash its wet residue. Yet, it never happened.

"Huh?" Kagome opened her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?" Haru snarled. He stood in front of Kagome, his hand drenched with bits and pieces of the balloon sticking to his hand. The water dripped down, soaking his boots, the ground and the books Kagome had dropped.

The other girls gasped, frightened. Even their leader looked panic-stricken. "S-Sohma-san," she stuttered. "We weren't doing a-anything."

"Then what are those?" Haru growled, eyeing the buckets full of water balloons.

"N-nothing," the two girls exclaimed and dropped the buckets. Quickly, they backed away, fleeing down the two entrances of the aisle. Other girls backed away and quickly dispersed, leaving their leader behind.

Haru scoffed. "Some friends you got, huh?"

Her face paled. Her bottom lip trembled. "S-Sohma-san, why are you p-protecting her?" She spoke, referring to Kagome. "She d-doesn't understand you like we d-do."

Haru never glanced away, "Feh. You think you freaks understand me?" He said his voice raspy. "If anything, all you girls are good at is making others feel pathetic and useless. You're nothing but pests and a waste of time. Go find something else worthwhile before I pound you into the ground." He stepped closer and bent down, reaching her height. "Girl or not, I'll still hit you senseless." He sneered and grinned angrily.

The girl's knees quivered. Shivers ran down her spine. She backed away and stumbled, falling on her rear. She shot to her feet and took off, falling once more as she reached the end of the aisle. Haru watched her retreating figure and rolled his eyes. "What a wimp."

"Kagome-chan~!" exclaimed Momiji. He ran down the other end of the aisle, heading straight towards them. "Are you okay?"

Kagome rubbed her head. "I'm fine now. Thank you, Hatsuharu-san," she bowed.

Haru turned around. "Think nothing of it. Those girls just give me a headache."

"Don't I know the feeling," Kagome replied, thinking back to her first day of school. "You Sohma boys sure do have some scary stalkers." She leaned her head down, a sweat drop forming behind her head. "I just want to get out of here."

"Why don't we all go to Shigure-san's?" Momiji suggested.

Kagome's head snapped up. Haru arched a brow.

"Shigure-san has a lot of books we can use for our project, and I'm sure the others would want to know about what happened to you, Kagome-chan." Momiji explained.

Kagome sighed. "I suppose."

"Great!" Momiji reached for her hand. "I already checked out some books, so we can get going." He walked forward, pulling Kagome behind him. "Haru, maybe you should hold Kagome-chan's hand too. That way, no one can grab her from behind."

"Momiji," Haru groaned and shook his head. Sometimes, his cousin's logic made no sense.

"Haru~!" he pouted. "Please, please, please~!"

Detesting the constant whining, Haru caved and reached for Kagome's hand. Momiji cheered and cheered loudly. Haru and Kagome exchanged equally annoyed glances. Together, the three exited from the library, rushing away before someone discovered their little 'mess.'

* * *

"Hatsuharu-san, Momiji-kun and Kagome-chan, how nice to see you three," Tohru gushed and dropped her duster. "You three are just in time for lunch."

Momiji released his hold on Kagome's hand, "Yay lunch. Tohru-chan, can I help set the table?"

"Of course," she laughed. "I'd love that."

"Yay, Yay." Momiji chimed.

Tohru chuckled and led Momiji into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Haru and Kagome stood outside, their hands still entwined. Haru moved forward towards the outdoor hallway and sat down. Kagome reluctantly sat down and studied her feet.

"You okay?" Haru grunted and released his hold on her hand. "You know… about what happened back in the library."

"I'm fine." She grinned, "Nothing that I couldn't have taken care of."

Haru cast her a skeptical glance. Kagome grinned, beads of sweat forming her head. "You don't think so?" She questioned mockingly.

Haru looked away. No response.

Kagome groaned. "Not the answer I was hoping for."

"Kagome-chan? Haru?"

Kagome and Haru turned around. There stood Kisa in a cute yellow dress. Kagome got to her feet and dashed forward, pulling the young girl into a hug. "Kisa-chan," she chimed lovingly, pulling her close. Haru smiled and Kisa blushed, snuggling further into Kagome's embrace.

"Kisa-chan, where did you go?" Someone shouted.

"Hiro?" Haru mumbled.

Kagome ceased nuzzling Kisa's head and looked to the side, noticing another young boy. His hair was short and a few shades darker than Kisa's. His eyes were an unusual shade of brown and his skin was slightly tanned. When he saw Kisa wrapped in Kagome's arms, he stopped, stunned.

"What the heck?"

"Hiro-kun," Kisa grinned and leaned her head against Kagome's shoulder. "This is Kagome-chan, my dance teacher."

Hiro's eyes narrowed. He scanned Kagome from head to toe and scoffed. "So? What about that?"

Kisa frowned. "Hiro-kun, that's not very nice."

Kagome pursed her lips together. Instantly, she could tell this young boy had an attitude problem. _He's kind of like InuYasha_, she thought, a tad bit irritated.

Haru got up from the ground. "Hiro, just keep your mouth shut."

"I didn't say anything!" Hiro seethed and stomped a foot in protest. "And why are you defending her? Huh? She shouldn't even be here!"

Kisa withdrew herself from Kagome's embrace. "Hiro-kun, don't say that." She clasped her hands together. "I'm happy that Kagome-chan is here and so is Sissy."

"Not with that Sissy stuff again!" Hiro shouted. "Its always Sissy, Sissy, Sissy. Now I bet that you'll keep going on about this one too!" He pointed a finger in Kagome's direction.

Kagome's eyes narrowed, a slight vein throbbing above her head. Haru saw the way she was balling her hand in and out of a fist. "Kagome-san, it's not worth it." He advised.

"Huh?" She titled her head to the side. "What do you mean, Hatsuharu-san?"

Haru gestured towards Hiro with a shake of the head. "There's no point in arguing with Hiro, it'll only make the situation worse. After all, he's nothing more than a child."

By that remark, Hiro exploded. Kisa dashed to his side and tried to calm him down, but it was no use. Hiro was beyond pissed and was directing over half of his anger towards Haru, "I'm still a child? I'm still a child?" He repeated, furious. "How dare you say that about me while you're the one that suffers from a split personality disorder! At least I don't change personalities like the damned day and night!" Hiro continued to shout, his voice growing higher and higher.

Kagome's mouth opened, evidently revealing her surprise.

Haru continually watched Hiro, his eyes dark and expression calm. When Hiro needed to stop for air, he slapped a hand onto the boy's head. "You done?" he asked dryly.

Hiro growled. Haru pushed him back slightly. "You're family—and Kisa-chan cares for you dearly. Though you've pissed me off, I won't fuel your anger by letting your careless words get the best of me." He started to walk away. "By yelling like that, you've really shown your childish side." And he entered the house.

Kagome's mouth dropped. She glanced towards Hiro and saw him fuming. Flames were forming behind his back and above his head. She swore she could see the wood beneath his feet burning.

"K-Kisa-chan, would you like to practice some dance steps?" She offered meekly.

Kisa looked at Hiro and back at Kagome. "… I'd like that," she nodded and walked towards Kagome. Hiro looked up from the ground and snarled her way. Kagome merely rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Come on." She reached for Kisa's hand and helped her onto the ground. "We'll practice a little further away from the house. That way if Hiro explodes anymore, we won't be caught in the crossfire," she whispered into Kisa's ear.

"**I heard that!"** Hiro shouted.

Kagome grinned and pulled Kisa away. "Let's go~!" She laughed, dragging the little tiger behind her.

"Get back here!" Hiro cried, waving his fists before following after them.

* * *

Shigure shut his study's door and walked down the outdoor hallway. Various shouts and yells had broken his concentration, enabling him from continuing his work.

_Not that it matters though_, he thought, smiling to himself. _I was almost done_. His latest novel, which was more for pleasure writing than anything else, was over ninety percent complete. _Though I know it's almost finished, that doesn't mean that Mei-chan does_. He chuckled at the thought. He always got a good laugh out of toying with his assistant.

Shigure grinned and turned down the hallway. Suddenly, he came to a stop. Standing there by the edge was none other than Haru. Shigure raised an eyebrow and leaned against the wall. Something was off with the young Ox. Usually, he wasn't very… happy. Ever since his break up with Rin Sohma, he had been on edge, to put it at best. Not even Kisa-chan's antics had managed to make him happy for very long periods of time.

_But that will change soon_, Shigure thought joyfully. _Once Aya-chan and I have finished our plan, Haru and Kagome-chan will be heads over heels in love with each other._

He chuckled at the thought. Haru grunted and caught his attention. Question marks hovered above Shigure's head. He titled his head to the side and noticed Haru smiling faintly. Shigure was intrigued.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Yells and shouts erupted from the backyard. Shigure looked forward and saw Kagome running with Kisa, fleeing from a red-faced Hiro. Kagome was laughing, Kisa looked confused and Hiro was, well, he was beyond pissed. Shigure stifled a laugh. The sight was quite comical.

"My, my, what do we have here?" He clicked his tongue and moved closer towards Haru.

Haru, who was still unaware of Shigure's presence, was too enthralled watching Kagome and Kisa flee from Hiro. Shigure arched a brow, noting how the Ox's gaze was locked mainly on Kagome. He made a mental note to call Ayame and report his latest findings.

Chuckling again, he got up and walked off, humming to himself.

'_Kagome and Haru _eventually_ sitting in a tree… Dum, Dum, Dum~"_

* * *

Lunch was just finished. Yuki and Kyo were not present at lunch this time, since Yuki was busy with student council work and Kyo was out training somewhere. Tohru was saddened by the fact that two members of the family weren't home for lunch, but enjoyed the company of Kisa, Hiro, Momiji, Haru and Kagome as substitutes. Lunch with all five of them and Shigure certainly was not silent, to say the least.

Now as Tohru and Momiji cleaned up the dishes, Kagome, Haru, Kisa and Hiro sat around the table. Shigure excused himself just moments ago, saying something about needing to make an important call.

Kagome sighed. _I wish Tohru-chan had let me help_, she thought to herself. She enjoyed washing the dishes from time to time. It was a calm and relaxing task, and was even more fun when she had someone to talk with. But when Tohru immediately stated to protest and throw a "fit," Kagome turned down the offer of helping, and said she would remain in the dinning room.

"Why are you still here?" Hiro demanded, catching her attention.

"Huh?" Kagome cocked her head to the side. Hiro was glowering towards her, his eyes an unusual shade of red. "I was invited," she trailed off.

Hiro scoffed. "You stay for lunch, but don't even bother to help with the dishes. How rude."

"Hiro-kun, Kagome-chan offered to help, but Sissy didn't want any," Kisa said.

Hiro's eyes softened. "I know… but she could have tried to put up more of a fight."

"At least she offered to help." Haru added on, "Unlike you."

"_Shut up!" _

Haru didn't reply. He merely reached for his glass and drank down the rest of his water. Hiro watched him, waiting for a response, but nothing came. He shouted in annoyance and got up from his seat. Kisa watched him, concerned.

"Hiro-kun, where are you going?"

"Toilet," was his sole response.

Kisa frowned and watched him shut the door with a slam. "Hiro-kun," she murmured sadly.

"Aww, Kisa-chan, don't be sad." Kagome cooed and pulled the girl into an embrace. Kisa giggled and laughed, smiling wide. Kagome grinned and hugged her closer. Haru watched them both and could have sworn he saw hearts forming around the two.

"K-Kagome-chan, can I ask you something?" Kisa whispered.

Kagome titled her head to the side. "What is it?"

"It's a secret," she answered.

Kagome nodded. "Tell it to me secretly then," she declared. Suppressing the urge to giggle even more, Kisa frantically whispered a few words inside Kagome's ear. The miko nodded, making appropriate noises when needed. When finished, she looked down towards Kisa and pulled her even closer towards her.

"Of course I'll help you," she exclaimed.

Kisa's cheeks turned red with joy. Haru watched them both, evidently confused by what Kisa just asked Kagome for help with. Kisa shut her eyes and smiled serenely. Though curious, Haru felt more at ease at seeing Kisa smile that way.

_Whatever she wanted help with, it certainly made her happy_, he deduced. Then, he looked up towards Kagome. The girl's gaze was locked on Kisa and her fingers were running through her short blonde hair. To the sight, Haru's eyes softened ever so slightly.


	14. Truth found out

**Chapter Twelve: **Truth found out**  
**

**Written: **December 23, 2012

* * *

"Kisa-chan, point your toes a bit more. Your back needs to be straighter." Kagome explained and helped the young tiger adjust herself. "That's it. Now move to the right." She backed away and watched as Kisa followed her instructions, swaying slowly to the music. The two were the sole inhabitants inside the dance room, the music blaring and Kagome's voice high rising above the classical melody.

Kisa tried her best to keep her steps clean and in-line. Kagome had spent a little more than an hour running through the choreography with her. Each step had been broken down and learned slowly, bit by bit, which made it simpler for Kisa.

Kagome surveyed Kisa and nodded appropriately. She reached inside her pocket, withdrew the remote for the stereo, pausing the song. Kisa looked up, confused. "Kagome-chan, what's wrong?"

Kagome slid the remote back into her pocket and walked towards Kisa. "Time for a water break," she smiled. "You need to stay hydrated."

A light blush stained Kisa's cheeks. "Right," she nodded.

Kagome chuckled, moving towards the corner where two bottles of water lay untouched and sealed. "Here you are." She handed Kisa one, who was just behind her. "You need your strength. You're working up quite a sweat there, my little dancer." She winked playfully. "You're doing such a wonderful job."

Kisa tensed, her grip on the bottle tightening. "Y-you think so?"

Undoing the lid on the bottle, Kagome murmured, "Of course. You've learnt the routine so quickly. You have it down and know the steps. All you need to do is keep practising."

Kisa's grip on the bottle tightened. Her face turned even redder. "Thank you," she murmured.

"Aw~!" exclaimed Kagome as she wrapped her arms around Kisa. "You are too cute!" Content, Kisa laid her head against Kagome's, smiling.

"Knock, knock," someone said and twisted the handle, walking in. Kisa and Kagome looked up, seeing Haru. In his usual black and white ensemble, he walked towards the two young girls and surveyed them quietly. "Kisa-chan, you ready to go?"

Kisa pouted. "Haru, there's still thirty minutes to go."

Haru blinked. "Hatori-san phoned a while ago, he said he wants us home an hour earlier—"

"And to get home earlier, we need to leave earlier." Kisa finished for him, frowning.

"Exactly."

Reluctantly she pulled herself out of Kagome's arms. "I understand. I'll go get changed." Not allowing Kagome the chance to argue, Kisa walked out of the room, dejected. When the little tiger was gone from sight, Kagome stood up properly and rolled her eyes at Haru.

Haru raised a brow. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing," she crossed her arms over her chest.

Haru blinked then looked away.

Beads of sweat formed behind the back of Kagome's head. "Are you that dense?" She shouted a moment later. Haru looked towards her indifferently. "Kisa-chan wants to stay!" She continued, stretching her arms. "What difference does thirty minutes make?"

"A big difference," Haru intervened, cutting her off.

Kagome clicked her tongue, "How so?"

"It's none of your concern."

"Hatsuharu-san, that's what you always say." She stomped a foot in protest. "You always say that I should mind my own business and not get involved with your family. Believe me, I've tried, but it's been clearly established that your family doesn't want me out of their lives entirely." Haru grunted, still listening. "And when this relates to Kisa-chan, I feel the need to intervene."

"You barely know her though." He stated seriously.

Kagome's cheeks tinted red. "T-that's not entirely true." She bit her bottom lip.

"As if." He rolled his eyes.

"Ugg, enough!" she tossed her bottle aside and moved forward, enclosing the gap between them. Now just inches from Haru, she eyed him square in the face, feeling his breath on her face. "Enough of the remarks and statements, Hatsuharu-san, for I have grown tired of them!" Her face was turning redder, steam emerging from her ears from out of sheer anger. "If I want to help Kisa-chan and be friends with members of your family, none of that should matter to you!"

"Of course it should!" He hollered, attempting to step back, wanting some space between them. Though Kagome wouldn't allow it; for when he stepped back, she advanced. Wearily, Haru studied their current position and cursed himself inwardly. Damn this, he thought, grinding his teeth.

"Why?!" she shouted causing him to cringe. "Just explain! Explain, you can tell me!"

"No. I. Can't." He pronounced every syllable, trying to stress the importance behind the matter.

"Ugg!" hissed Kagome. "You're incompetent!"

"And you're way too meddlesome!" He retailed.

"Jerk!" she shrieked.

Haru opened his mouth about ready to yell another word, but stopped. Knowing Kagome, she would just overact to the statement. Shutting his eyes in anger, he rubbed his throbbing temples and tried to look away. Kagome growled, furious. After a few seconds, Haru tried his luck again. "Listen… just stop… it's for your best interest, not ours."

"Huh?" Question marks hovered above her head. Clearly, this was not what she had been expecting. "Hatsuharu-san… what do you—Uhh, I'm so confused!" She clutched her head with both hands and shook it rapidly.

"You and me both," Haru mumbled under his breath.

"Hmm?" she stopped shaking her head and looked up, meeting his gaze. Intending to look away any second, Kagome found herself unable to do so. Haru merely watched her, his impression of the young woman shifting again.

_She's like a person constantly changing radio stations_, he thought to himself, _always changing songs, never satisfied with the current tune_. And by tunes and changing, he was referring to her constant switch and swing of emotions.

Feeling her cheeks turning red, Kagome gulped, knowing her heart was pounding. _What's wrong with me?_ She thought, dumbfounded. _One minute I'm about ready to pull his head off, and the next minute… I don't know… Uhh!_

"Haru, Kagome-chan, I'm all changed." Kisa announced, then walking in.

"!"

"!"

Startled by the interruption, Kagome leaned forward, falling straight onto Haru. Kisa stared, shocked, but successfully managed to shut the door behind her. A large puff of dark smoke then erupted within the room, leaving Kagome highly confused.

"What the heck?" She sat up, suddenly noticing the various amounts of clothing that covered the ground. Reaching for the long white jacket, she held it up, stunned. "Isn't this Hatsuharu-san's?"

"… That's right," someone sighed regretfully.

"Hatsuharu-san?" exclaimed Kagome. She turned around and saw just to her left… a cow?


	15. Silence isn't always golden

**Chapter Thirteen:** Silence isn't always golden

**Written:** December 24, 2012

**Author's Note - **Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone.

* * *

Kagome stared at the cow and the cow stared back at her. "Hatsuharu-san?" she murmured, reaching out to touch the animal. "Is that you?"

The cow groaned, "Unfortunately."

Kagome got to her feet and dusted herself off. "How did this happen?"

"You fell onto Haru when I came in the room," Kisa moved towards them.

"Kisa, you shouldn't be explaining this." Haru sighed, shaking his head.

Kagome blinked and crossed her arms over her chest. "What's going on exactly?"

Kisa and Haru exchanged glances. "I guess we can't keep it a secret," the little tiger sighed and sat down. Kagome watched her curiously.

"Keep_ this_ a secret you mean?" She asked, pointing towards Haru. The cow scowled her way. In return, she stuck out her tongue. Kisa sweat dropped and nodded.

"We can just have her memory erased," Haru stated calmly. "It's not that big of a deal."

"No!" Kisa jumped to her feet. "I don't want Kagome-chan's memory erased." She scrambled away from Haru and closer towards Kagome, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Kagome-chan," she sobbed, hugging her tighter, "I don't want you to forget."

"Forget?" Kagome raised a brow, eyeing Haru suspiciously. "Just what do you mean by having my memory _erased_, Hatsuharu-san?"

Haru rolled his eyes. "This isn't the best place to talk. We should go somewhere quieter."

"Why not uncle Shigure's house?" suggested Kisa.

"That's fine with me," Haru groaned. "But we better wait until I—" Boom! A colourful explosion of colours erupted in the air. Kagome's mouth opened and she nearly fell back on her rear as she saw Haru return to his original form… with no clothes on.

"Kami!" she screamed, covering her eyes with her hands. Kisa turned cherry red and looked away.

"Haru… please change quickly," she advised.

"…" Haru made no reply, already beginning to put on his shirt.

* * *

Excusing them themselves from the studio, Kagome, Kisa and Haru walked towards Shigure's, the air tense and brittle. Kisa insisted on holding both of their hands throughout the walk, thus ensuring that the little tiger was in between them. From time to time, Kagome heard Haru mutter and grumble under his breath. Though she couldn't always catch what he was saying, she was sure she had an overall idea.

Upon arriving at Shigure's and knocking on the front door, no Tohru or Yuki came to greet them. "Sissy?" whispered Kisa. She peered around the side of the house and in a window and saw no signs of her favourite female brunette. "Maybe they're not home?" She mumbled sadly.

"Shigure should be home," Haru said and knocked—more like banged—on the door. "I overheard him on the phone today; he was saying that he's got another deadline coming up for his latest book."

Kisa's face paled, "Poor Mitchan."

"Mitchan?" repeated Kagome, confused.

"She's Shigure's editor," Haru explained, twisting the door handle. "Shigure always drives the woman insane; usually to the point of wanting to commit suicide."

"!"

Kagome's mouth nearly fell off its hinges. "Are you serious?"

When no answered the door, Haru grunted, "Yep."

Beads of sweat formed behind Kagome's head. "Heh… heh," she laughed, fearful.

"No one's answering the front door; maybe we should try the back?" Kisa suggested.

"Why not," Haru shrugged his shoulders. The three of them moved towards the back of the house and saw that the sliding door was open and Shigure lay sprawled out on the outdoor hallway conversing with Ayame. When noticing the three children, he raised a hand and smiled.

"Why, hello there."

Ayame turned around, perplexed. "Who are you talking to, Gure-chan? I thought Yuki and the others wouldn't be back for hours."

Shigure's grin widened. "Why Aya-chan, it's none other then Haru, Kisa-chan and Kagome-chan."

"Haru and Kagome-chan?" exclaimed Ayame, his smile twice the size. Jumping to his feet, the snake turned himself around and extended his arms out wide. "Kagome-chan, Kisa-chan and Haru, we welcome you three!"

"Why didn't you answer the front door?" Haru asked, his gaze moving right past Ayame.

Shigure laughed, tapping his chin with a fan. "Well, that's a hard question to answer."

"You two were too lazy, weren't you?" Haru stated dryly.

Shigure sweat dropped and laughed hotly. "Oh Haru, what would give you an idea like that?"

Haru rolled his eyes and pointed towards the empty bottles of sake. "Oh." Shigure's mouth formed a perfect O shape. "I suppose that is good evidence." He laughed again, but this time opened the fan, attempting to conceal himself.

"Idiot," Haru looked away.

Meanwhile, Kagome and Kisa were busy chatting with Ayame. "So Kagome-chan, it's been a while since we've last seen each other. You must simply catch me up on everything's that been going on." He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, "How has Haru been treating you?"

Kagome backed away, her face bright red. Kisa glanced towards her teacher, question marks hovering above her head. "Kagome-chan, are you feeling okay?"

"Fine." She exclaimed and sat down on the ground, "Never better."

"Hmm?" Kisa and Ayame exchanged glances.

"So, on another note, what are you three kids doing here?" By now, Shigure was up on his feet, stretching his stiff muscles. "With Tohru-chan and the others gone, I assumed we wouldn't have any visitors today."

"Where did they go?" Kisa asked.

"To the grocery store, the post office and a few other places," Shigure answered. "Aya-chan tried to go with them, but poor Yuki wouldn't let him. Isn't that right, Aya-chan?"

"Quite certainly, Gure-chan," he sniffed sadly. "They said that—"

"Shut the crap right now," Haru stated coldly, interrupting Ayame.

Ayame gaped. "Haru, watch your language. You're standing in front of two beautiful young ladies."

"Ayame, this is important." Haru heaved a sigh, glancing back in their direction. "Today when I went to pick up Kisa-chan from her dance class, a little… dilemma occurred."

"What sort of dilemma?" Shigure's eyes sparkled, mischievous.

Kisa stepped forward and said in one breath. "Haru transformed in front of Kagome-chan."

"…"

Utter silence.

This was not good.


	16. Explanations and Competition

**Chapter Fourteen: **Explanations and Competition

**Written:** March 16, 2013

* * *

Shigure's eyes darkened, his playful aura vanishing. "Well, that certainly changes things." He appeared calm and collective on the outside, but on the inside, he radiated with confusion. "I suppose we should discuss the matter. Everyone inside the house," he commanded.

One by one, each person walked inside. Shigure waited until all were sitting down before closing the sliding door. Kagome observed his actions, dually noting the way that both Ayame and Shigure were behaving. They were tense, quiet and stoic, the exact opposite of how they usually behaved and acted.

She raised a brow, then feeling someone plunk themselves down into her lap. Surprised, she looked and saw Kisa sitting there, looking up with a frown. "Aww!" she exclaimed and wrapped her arms tightly around the cub. "You are too cute!" Kisa relished in the warmth offered her favourite teacher and sighed inaudibly in sheer contentment.

_Kagome-chan_, she thought, lightly blushing pink.

"Ahem." Ayame coughed, attempting to capture the young girls' attention. "Kagome-chan, this is quite a serious matter that you have walked into. I hope you are aware of that."

She nodded. "Hai, I can understand the reason behind your current actions." The curse the family suffered from – though she did not know much about yet – was a hard curse to deal with. It must be horrid, she thought to herself, living with such a difficult trait. No wonder Hatsuharu didn't want her to become so closely involved with his family… he was just concerned for their well-being.

"Kagome-chan, I'll get to the point immediately," Shigure said, eyeing the girl with quite a bit of confusion. _How is it that Hatsuharu transformed when Kagome-chan fell on him, but I didn't?_

Shigure recalled their past meeting in the park a few weeks ago and strongly remembered a man pushing Kagome forward, straight towards him. Shigure, who had been expecting the worst, was in for a world of confusion when he did not transform into his zodiac form: a black dog. Instead, he remained in his human form with a flushed Kagome.

The thought confused the older man. He rubbed his chin in thought and looked towards Ayame. Ayame, who was already aware of Shigure's past encounter, nodded his head in agreement. He, too, was tentative of the ordeal presented forward. He hadn't had the faintest clue on what to do even with Shigure, Hatsuharu and Kisa there to provide assistance and offer a plausible explanation.

Ayame visibly groaned. "I suppose I'll begin." He moved forward and grabbed Kagome's hands in his. Eyes twinkling, he exclaimed, "Kagome-chan, I am a snake."

Kagome looked a bit taken back. "Excuse me?" Even in her adventures in Feudal Japan, no Youkai or Half-demon visibly stepped forward and admitted their true counterpart to a miko, someone whose job was to rid the world of them. Beads of sweat formed behind the back of her head. She laughed nervously, perplexed.

Shigure clicked his tongue, "Not the best choice of wording, Aya. I suppose though, it's a good start." He looked towards Kagome. "Kagome-chan, I'm a dog, Kisa-chan's a tiger and well, Hatsuharu," he and Ayame exchanged knowing glances, "you know what he is."

"A cow?" she offered meekly.

"Precisely." He flashed a peace sign. Turning serious again, he stated, "What you encountered with Hatsuharu is completely 'normal' in our family." Kagome noted his change of tone at the word normal. "Our family has lived with this curse for generations. We transform into the twelve animals of the zodiac whenever our bodies are under a great deal or stress or when we're hugged by a member of the opposite sex."

"Is that why Kisa-chan doesn't transform when I hug her?"

"Yes, because you're both young ladies, it doesn't affect you." Ayame said, running his fingers through his silvery tresses. Kagome pursed her lips together. "Kagome-chan, you must understand the severity behind this secret." Ayame said his gaze transfixed on her. "If anyone outside the family is to learn of this secret, it will be utter pandemonium."

"I understand completely," she murmured.

Kisa frowned. "Is Kagome-chan going to have her memories erased?" She asked, clutching the girl's arm tighter. She didn't want to lose Kagome-chan. She was a wonderful teacher and such an easy person to talk with. Kisa valued every dance class she had with Kagome and didn't want to think of the older girl forgetting her. It made her heart flutter with fear.

Shigure and Ayame exchanged silent looks. "We'll need to talk with Akito-sama," Shigure said.

"Akito-sama?" repeated Kagome.

"He is the head of Sohma household," Haru explained, looking at the ground.

"Then it will be his decision if I can keep my memories or not?" Kagome asked calmly. She was surprising Haru here. He had expected her to throw a fit or demand answers as she normally would.

_What's up with her?_ He wondered, thinking to himself.

Meanwhile, Kagome was lost in thought, thinking to herself. _My memories will not be erased if I have anything to say about it. I treasure every memory I have, and I refuse to lose one._ She balled a hand into a fist, hiding it behind Kisa's lap. Though she was still confused by the matter, she decided to ignore her burning curiosity for now and merely focus on the task at present.

"We'll have a talk with Akito-sama tomorrow," Shigure advised, getting to his feet. "I'm going to call Hatori and fill him in on the situation. He'll arrange a time for us to see Akito-sama." Shigure excused himself from the living room and left for his office.

The remaining four members continued to sit silently in the living room. However, Ayame – who was never one for silence – asked Kagome, "Tell me Kagome-chan, when is the next time that Hatsuharu and yourself will be coming by my shop?"

"Never," Haru answered sourly.

"Haru!" gasped Ayame. "What a horrid remark! You must not speak in such a way in front of two young ladies—especially to your favourite cousin, no less."

Haru rolled his eyes and made no reply. Ayame chuckled to himself and focused his attention back on Kagome. "Kagome-chan, tell me, would you be interested in returning to my shop?" He leaned in closer and grasped a hold of one hand. Kagome grimaced, trying to maintain some composure.

"Well," she said meekly, "I'm kind of busy with schoolwork this week." She didn't want to get Ayame's hopes up. Last time she went to his store, she ended up playing dress up, which isn't one of her ideal past times.

Ayame frowned. "Kagome-chan you must! Mine-chan wishes to see you again. In fact," he leaned in closer, "I have a design that I simply want you to model for me." His breath tickled her ear. "It's a pair outfit, meaning another person must sport the other matching piece."

Her face paled. "Let me guess," she sighed, "that person would be Hatsuharu."

"How did you know?" Ayame gasped. "Did Mine-chan tell you?"

Kagome sighed, "Lucky guess."

Shigure then returned. "I just finished talking with Hatori. He's going to explain the situation to Akito-sama."

"That will not be pleasant." Ayame sighed dreadfully. "I hope nothing bad happens."

"As do I," Shigure replied. "However, this is something I must know. Kagome-chan, remember that time we met up in the park?" Kagome nodded. "You were jogging and I happened to be out on a nice stroll, admiring the lovely scenery."

"More like admiring the young school girls," Haru grumbled under his breath.

Kagome and Kisa chuckled. Ayame grinned and Shigure sighed, "Haru, why must you all think so low of me?" He tapped his chin with his signature white fan. "In any case, Kagome-chan, you remember the one man who pushed us forward and caused us to collide?"

Kagome gulped, she knew where this was going. "Yes, I do." She informed him.

A glimmer passed through his eyes. "Since you're now aware of the family curse, you might understand my weariness about the previous predicament." He sat down. "Now Kagome-chan, I want you to answer honestly: do you know why I didn't transform when we collided back in the park?"

Kagome fiddled with her palms. She had no clue how to answer his question. In some ways, she thought she knew the answer; it was the Shikon No Tama. At the time in the park, she had carried it with, not expecting anything bad to happen. However, with the discovery of the Sohma family curse, she had only that logical explanation.

_I need to be honest with them,_ she decided. _Even if they don't believe me, at least I'll know that I'm not lying to myself._ She balled a hand into a fist again, feeling a surge of courage pump through her veins.

"I think I have an idea," she said hesitantly.

Ayame and Shigure leaned in, curious. Even Haru looked interested.

"And that would be?" Shigure asked.

"The Shikon No Tama," she mumbled shyly.

"You mean that supposed Jewel of Four Souls?" Haru said dryly. While he was no history buff, he knew the general idea of the sacred jewel. Heck, many people knew about it. It was a required part of any middle and high school history curriculum.

"That's right," Kagome smiled wearily. She wrapped her arms around Kisa, holding her tight. "My family owns a shrine back in Tokyo where they retain many items from the past; the jewel just happened to be one of them." She knew she was lying here, but she had to. How else would she explain the situation about her possession of the **actual **Shikon jewel?

"My grandfather entrusted me to guard the jewel before coming here to study. He claimed it would help protect me." That wasn't technically a lie. Her grandfather had given her many jewels, claiming they were created to protect others. However, what he failed to realize were that the jewels were merely plastic imitations of the originals. Kagome didn't have the heart to tell him that bit, though, and accepted the jewels with a smile.

"You mean to tell us that you have the original Shikon Jewel?" Ayame asked, doubtful.

Kagome regretfully replied, "Not at the moment. But I can bring it with me tomorrow."

Shigure rubbed his chin. "If you bring the jewel here tomorrow, I'd like to test out this theory."

Ayame leaned over. "Shigure, surely you don't believe her. Do you?"

Shigure eyed him. "Aya, this is the only plausible explanation we have so far." He, too, found Kagome's reasoning… unethical, but didn't want to voice his true opinions. He knew right after bumping into that night in the park when he did not transform that there was more to the girl than meets the eye.

_If what she's saying is true, then everything we know could change._

"Kagome-chan, I suppose you'll just have to accompany the others when they return from school tomorrow," Ayame said, running his fingers through his hair. "Be sure to bring your jewel with you, and from there we'll see how things should work out."

Kagome nodded, entwining her hands with Kisa's hands. "That sounds fair, Ayame-san."

"On another note," Shigure said, standing up, "it's getting late and Tohru-chan and the others have yet to return. I don't know how everyone else feels, but I'm starving." He cast a longing glance towards Kagome. A sweat drop formed behind her head.

"You want me to make something?" She offered, gently lifting Kisa out of her lap.

"Kagome-chan, what a wonderful idea you have there!" Shigure beamed.

She rolled her eyes and stood up. "Just lead me to the kitchen and I'll try to prepare something." Shigure jumped to his feet and made a beeline for the kitchen, Kagome following from behind. Kisa, too, jumped to her feet and took off after the duo, wanting to help. That left Ayame and Haru in the room.

Ayame cleared his throat. "Haru, I asked Kagome-chan the following and she said she'll consider it… under one condition."

"What are you talking about?" Haru grunted.

Ayame laughed boastfully. "Mine-chan wants to enter a local magazine competition. It requires pictures be sent in with original designs created by talented, young artists."

"Like you?" Haru spouted dryly.

"Exactly!" Ayame snapped his fingers. "Now, the competition requires that the photos be sent in with pairs."

"Ayame, get to the point," Haru sighed.

"Right, right," Ayame flicked his wrist. "Mine-chan and I have the perfect designs in mind and have already begun to create them since the competition ends next month. However," he paused for dramatic effect, "we're short on two important things."

Haru arched a brow.

"Models!" his older cousin exclaimed. "We need two dashing young people to model a handful of our latest, cutting-edge designs."

Haru, who was only half-listening, knew where this was going. "No way," he stated and started to leave the room.

"Not so fast!" Ayame blocked his path. "You haven't let me finish."

"I don't need to hear the rest," Haru responded.

"Haru, you must listen to your older cousin!" Ayame whined.

Haru rolled his eyes. "Says who?"

"Says me!" yelled Ayame.

"No thanks." Haru was halfway towards the door now; however, someone else was blocking his path: Kisa. Kisa had returned to the living room upon hearing the shouts from Ayame and Haru. She grew curious and wanted to know what was happening.

"Uncle Ayame, what's wrong?"

Ayame looked up, pretending to wipe tears away from his eyes. "Haru refuses to model for me."

"Model?" exclaimed Kisa. As Ayame quickly summarized the competition to Kisa, she found her eyes and lips widening. She then looked back towards Haru in joy, nearly jumping up and down.

"Haru, you have to model for Uncle Ayame," she said gleefully.

Haru sighed inwardly. He could never say no to Kisa. Glaring towards Ayame, he regretfully agreed, "Fine."

"Wonderful!" Ayame jumped to his feet. "Now I just need to convince Kagome-chan!" Haru's mouth opened, stumped. Yet, before one word escaped from his lips, Ayame was gone.

* * *

**Author's Note -** I am sorry for the long wait. I seriously did not mean to make you all wait so long. (-_-) In any event, I hope the chapter satisfied you all. The modeling part was not planned - it just came as I was writing. I like the idea a lot though, and don't want to get rid of it. XD The thought of Haru modeling though... gosh, Kagome is one lucky girl. (In case you readers might not know, Haru is my fave Fruits Basket character. :D) Who are your favourite characters?

Also, if anyone is interested, I want to get a Beta-reader to clean up the past chapters I've written for this story. I read them over from time to time and see some spelling/grammar mistakes that need fixing. But if I edit the chapters, that means there will be an even longer delay for the next chapter. So if anyone is interested in becoming the beta for this story (even just to help clean up one or two chapters), I would **GREATLY** appreciate it.

I'm aiming to post up another chapter sometime this week - if school doesn't slap down too many assignments. :(

Thanks for reading.

TFSA


	17. Awkward Hugs

**Chapter Fifteen: **Awkward Hugs

**Written:** May 4, 2013

* * *

Kagome approached Kaibara high school with her bag strapped to her side. She pushed open the front doors and passed by many familiar faces as she headed to her first period class.

"Good morning, Kagome-chan."

"Good morning." When nearing her class, she slid the door open and walked inside. Few students were at their seats, and the vast majority were still outside in the hallways chatting.

"Kagome-chan!" exclaimed Momiji.

"Morning, Momiji-kun," she replied and placed her bag down. She made sure to keep a watchful eye on the backpack as she chatted with Momiji. She didn't want anything to happen to the precious item she kept hidden inside: the Shikon No Tama.

Haru, who stood by his desk, listened to the duo's conversation. "Kagome-chan, you're going over to Shigure's house today, right?" Momiji inquired hopefully.

Kagome nodded. "That's right, and I brought **it** with." She mentioned, eyeing Haru in particular.

He grunted in response before looking out the window. A sweat drop formed behind Kagome's head, but she ignored his lack of speech.

"What's '**it**'?" Momiji asked, curious.

Kagome looked his way. "You'll find out—"

"Class in session," the teacher announced and walked inside, many students following behind.

"Aw." Momiji whined before heading to his desk. "Kagome-chan, you'll need to tell me later." He whispered and threw away his lollipop. Kagome watched the younger boy sit down in his chair and talk animatedly to the boy next to him.

"You shouldn't get too attached."

"Huh?" Kagome blinked and turned around. Haru was still sitting in his chair, watching her. "What do you mean?" She said and hesitantly slid down into her own chair.

"You should know by now," he replied gruffly and pulled out his textbook.

Kagome puffed her cheeks together. How dare he keep telling her such things? "Listen Hatsuharu-san," she hissed, her face turning red. "As I have stated many times before, I am getting irritated by your constant reminders about not becoming too attached to your family!" She moved in closer. "Although I can understand your reasons, I am still annoyed by the fact that you don't seem to trust me!"

Haru grunted and looked away. "We'll talk more at lunch." Kagome silently agreed upon noticing the looks their teacher was giving them. She offered Sensei a meek apology and withdrew her textbooks from her bag.

* * *

Lunch didn't come sooner for Kagome as she neared the school's rooftop. Three classes later with no breaks or food, and she was about ready to tumble over. Stomach rumbling, she opened the door and walked towards the small group of people. So far, only Momiji and Hatsuharu were there. She sat down next to Momiji and asked, "Where is everyone?"

"They're finishing off a test," Momiji informed her.

She nodded and withdrew her lunch. Haru watched her and noticed a small box covered with wards and sutras. "Is that what I think it is?" He stated dryly. Kagome looked up and arched a brow; she wanted more information. "That jewel you were speaking about yesterday," he added.

Kagome set down her bento. "That's right, Hatsuharu-san." She stated. "Would you like a demonstration now, or should I wait until we get to Shigure-san's home?"

Haru shrugged his shoulders, indifferent, "Whatever you prefer." And he was back to eating.

Kagome smirked, repressing the urge to roll her eyes. She then reached inside her bag and withdrew the small wooden box. Carefully, she peeled off two of the sacred sutras, and opened the lid. Momiji leaned over, curious, and asked her what it was. When she slipped the pink sphere over her neck, she said, "The Shikon No Tama." Then, she pulled him into her arms.

Haru nearly dropped his lunch. Momiji sat there, dumbfounded. Only Kagome was still herself, grinning widely. "I thought it would work." Her grip tightened around Momiji, and she laid her head against his. "Isn't this nice?" She murmured, "You didn't transform."

Momiji's eyes widened. "No p-poof," he mumbled, still stunned.

Kagome laughed, "Hai, Momiji-kun, no poof."

Haru could not believe his eyes. "What on earth?" Lunch forgotten, he moved towards the duo and studied the necklace around Kagome's neck with complete curiosity. _Its glowing bright red_, he realized, fingering the chain of the necklace. He had never—no heard, of such things before.

Kagome looked up and met his gaze. "Am I still lying, Hatsuharu-san?" She spoke.

Haru couldn't reply; he had no comeback to say. Smiling, Kagome slowly detached herself from Momiji, allowing the young rabbit to climb out of her arms. Then moving closer towards Haru, she extended her arms wide and pulled the Ox into her arms.

Momiji's mouth dropped. "Kagome-chan," he stuttered. "What are you doing?"

Kagome wound her arms around Haru's waist. "Am I still lying?" She whispered into his ear, wanting a response.

Haru gulped and opened his mouth, "No."

Kagome's cheeky smile increased by a tenfold. "That's all I wanted to hear." She was prepared to end the hug and continue eating her lunch, but Haru had a different plan in mind.

_This isn't so bad_, he realized, wrapping his own arms around her waist, leaning his head against her shoulder. The strands from Kagome's hair tickled his face and he shut his eyes, exhaling softly. Kagome, who felt her heart rate soar, turned crimson. She had expected Haru to push her away or let go of her, not continue the hug! "Um, Hatsuharu-san," she squirmed.

Haru eyes snapped open as realization flowed through his veins. A barely noticeable sprinkle of pink draped across his cheeks as he detangled himself from Kagome. He coughed and quickly looked away. "Um, sorry," he mumbled quietly.

Kagome felt her knees weaken and slowly slipped to the ground, feeling her heart skip a beat. Momiji, who had watched the entire interaction, inched closer towards the duo. Neither Kagome nor Haru said a word. They were both looking in opposite directions. It was Momiji, who then cleared the tension—not really, though. "Haru, does this mean you like Kagome-chan?"

"!" Haru's head whipped around so far, Momiji thought the bones in his neck might snap. Even Kagome looked up from the ground, her face three times redder. "Momiji," Haru balled his hands into fists, exhaling through his mouth.

Momiji laughed. "Haru, come on, you can tell me." He got to his feet and jumped. "I saw how you reacted to that hug. Admit it, you like it Kagome-chan!"

Kagome and Haru exchanged uncomfortable looking glances.

Momiji saw the glance and sadly misinterpreted it. "Ah, what are you two lovebirds doing?"

"Lovebirds?" Yuki repeated, opening the door. Behind him were Tohru, Kyo, Uo and Hana.

"Yeah," Momiji laughed, waving. "Kagome-chan and Haru are the two lovebirds." Haru smacked his forehead with his left palm and Kagome exhaled a severely loud sigh.

"Is anyone else here lost?" Uo spoke up. "Or is it just me?"

"No. It's not just you," Hana whispered. "I detect large amounts of confusion and uncertainty throughout the air." Her eyes narrowed and she looked towards Kagome—more specifically, towards her neck. Kagome caught the gaze and chose to turn around. Quickly, she withdrew the necklace from her neck and stuffed it in her pocket.

"Alright, what's going on here?" Kyo sneered.

Haru merely blinked and Momiji laughed.

Kyo's right temple throbbed. "Answer the damn question!"

"… I'm hungry," Haru mumbled and reached for his bento.

Kyo nearly fell backwards. "What the hell, Haru?"

Haru ignored him and continued to eat. Momiji's laughter amplified and Kagome felt a headache coming on. Reaching for her lunch and bag, she quickly deposited the jewel into the wooden box and slapped the sutras back on. Looking around, she noticed no one was paying attention to her… except Haru. His white brows were nearly touching his hairline, and his lips were pursed.

Beads of sweat formed behind Kagome's head. Shyly, she looked away and fingered her backpack. _What's with me?_ She thought, feeling her stomach fluttering. _Just one hug and I'm suddenly all flustered? This is Hatsuharu Sohma, I'm thinking about! The boy who always tells me to leave his family alone! Ah! _Kagome hung her head in defeat, her eyes swirling.

"This is too much," she groaned under her breath.


End file.
